Ne-Yo is well known in the music world for his unique writing skills which led him to become one of the top songwriters in the world. The singer has established himself as one of the most prominent artists in the music game and gained a lot of fame as a solo artist. Ne-Yo rose to fame with the release of his second studio album Because of You. The album was released in 2007 and it peaked at the top of the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Moreover, the album also earned the 50th Grammy Award in the category of Best Contemporary R&B Album. Following the success of the album, Ne-Yo released his 3rd studio album Year of the Gentleman (2008). That project became even more successful and sold over 2 million copies. On top of that, the album has been certified double platinum in the US and earned triple platinum in the United Kingdom. Ne-Yo has sold over 20 million records worldwide and won numerous awards and accolades for his hit music. He also collaborated with some high-profile artists including Kanye West, Pitbull, and many others. After getting enough success in the music industry, Ne-Yo decided to try his hand at the entertainment industry and began appearing in films and television shows.
Early Life:
Ne-Yo was born Shaffer Chimere Smith on the 18th of October 1979, in Camden, Arkansas, to an American and Chinese father and African American mother. His father Wiley L. Smith is a musician while his mother Loraine was also a musician, so music was always part of his life while growing up. As a kid, he was raised by his single mother after his father left the family. Shaffer also has a sister named Nicole. After that, Ne-Yo and his mother decided to move to Las Vegas, Nevada, for better opportunities.
Education:
Ne-Yo developed an interest in music from an early age and he knew that he wanted to become an artist. Growing up in Las Vegas, he attended Rancho High School for the Arts. While studying in the art school, he auditioned and eventually entered the R&B crew by the name of Envy and adopted the stage name GoGo. The group started gaining attention and also began appearing in television shows. However, Envy disbanded shortly after their one particularly renowned appearance on MTV in 2000. Around the same time, Smith started discovering his songwriting abilities and started taking them more seriously. His writing skills helped him to become well-known in the music industry. He also got the name Ne-Yo because Smith reasoned that Ne-Yo sees songwriting like the character Neo sees the Matrix.
Music Career:
Ne-Yo first grabbed the attention of Columbia Records with whom he signed but soon dropped him until he release any music. He began writing songs for his debut album and by 2003 he already had recorded all the tracks for the upcoming project. The turning point of his career was when popular American singer Marques Houston heard his album’s lead single That Girl. Houston decided to re-record the song That Girl which was included in Houston’s debut album called MH. From that point forward Ne-Yo started gaining recognition in the music industry as one of the finest songwriters. Ne-Yo also got an offer from numerous popular artists who wanted him to work for them. He eventually started working with some renowned musicians including B2K, Faith Evans, Teedra Moses, Christina Milan, and Youngstown. 2004 was one of the biggest years for Ne-Yo which has written the number-one hit single Let Me Love You for singer Mario. After launching that single Ne-Yo came up as one of the most sought-after songwriters in the music world. That single earned a lot of success debuting at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it remained at the top spot for 9 weeks. The song also caught the attention of prominent rapper Jay-Z after discovering his perform, the rapper offered Ne-Yo to sign a new deal with his record label.
Breakthrough as a Solo:
Under Def Jam Records, Ne-Yo dropped his debut album In My Own Words in 2006. The album earned success with his hit singles So Sick and When You’re Mad. Not to mention the album earned platinum certification. A year later Ne-Yo released his second studio album Because of You and that became the biggest breakthrough moment of his career. That album ranked number one on the Billboard Top 200 and was certified platinum. The album’s lead track Because of You became a massive hit and earned millions of streams, although the rest of the singles were not successful. Year of the Gentleman was the third album that Ne-Yo released in 2008 and sold over 250,000 copies in its first week in the US. The project received platinum once again and earned positive reviews. It contains the hit singles Miss Independent and Closer. He earned a lot of fame as a solo artist and around this time several popular musicians want him to collab.
Collaboration:
At the end of 2009, Ne-Yo dropped a greatest hits compilation album called Ne-Yo: The Collection which sold 55,625 copies in the first week. Since then the singer began touring and also collaborated with a number of artists like Mariah Carey, and many more. In November 2010, Ne-Yo released his fourth studio album Libra Scale which earned critical acclaim from music critics but did not become a commercial success. The singer toured in the UK for the entire of 2011 year. At the same time, he began writing songs for some prominent singers such as Alexis Jordan and Jennifer Hudson, among others. N-Yo moved from Def Jam Records to Motown Records after collaborating with artists like Pitbull and Lil Wayne. Under the Motown deal, Ne-Yo dropped his first project R.E.D (his fifth studio album) which became a commercial success and was well-received by critics. In 2013 he teamed up with artists such as Akon and David Guetta. Ne-Yo later collaborated with Jucoy J to record the hit single She Knows which was included in his sixth studio album Non-Fiction in 2015. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200 chart. It was revealed that Ne-Yo’s 7th studio album would be released and features another track Another Love Song in 2017.
Acting Career:
In 2007 Ne-Yo made his film debut in the dance drama film Stomp the Yard in which he played the role of Rich Brown. Prior to this, he made his first TV show appearance in the popular comedy show Wild ‘N Out. He then continued to appear in some more projects such as CSI: NY and The Fresh Beat Band. In 2011 Ne-Yo got his first major role in the science fiction film Battle: Los Angeles he then followed up with his role in the 2012s George Lucas film titled Red Tails. In that same year, he appeared as a Guest Mentor in the British reality music competition The X Factor. Ne-Yo was a guest host in the 2012s comedy panel game Never Mind the Buzzcocks and then starred in the teen drama 90210. In 2015 he played the role of Secret Service Agent Deveroux in the TV movie Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! Since then he continued to appear in films and TV shows including Empire, The Wiz Live!, The Mindy Project, Guest judge in America’s Got Talent, etc. In 2017 Ne-Yo was named a Judge for the reality competition television series World of Dance in which he appeared from 2017 to 2020. In 2017 he starred in further three projects Hollywood Game Night, Girls Trip, and Lip Sync Battle. In 2018 Ne-Yo began appearing as a series regular in the TV series Step Up: High Water in which he got the role of Sage Odom. He also starred in an episode of the 2019 series The Substitute and then Nickelodeon’s Unfiltered in 2020. Apart from all that, Ne-Yo expanded his career in the entertainment industry and he helped the Cartoon Network to develop new animated series called I Heart Tuesday in 2011.
Relationships:
Ne-Yo began dating photographer and fashion designer, Jessica White. In 2005 Jessica revealed that she gave birth to a boy, and named Ne-Yo as the father of the kid. The singer later announced that he is not the father of Jessica’s child. During the 2009 Jamie Foxx concert in Louisiana, Ne-Yo met model Monyetta Shaw and the two began their relationship the following year. At the end of 2010, the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Madilyn Grace Smith. Later in October 2011 their son, Mason Evan Smith was born. However, their relationship didn’t last long and they were called off in late 2013.
Crystal:
In 2014 Ne-Yo and Crystal Renay Williams began dating and married in February 2016. In March of that year, their first child was born a son named Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. On June 14, 2018, the two were blessed with their second baby boy named Roman Alexander-Raj Smith. In June 2021 their daughter Isabella Rose Smith was born. But In August of 2021, Crystal filed for divorce stating that Ne-Yo cheated on her.
Health:
Ne-Yo had been following a vegan diet since August 2017. In 2019 he claimed that he had lost 30 lbs and reversed his tendinitis. As of 2020, he is quit his vegan diet.
Legal problems:
Apart from having success in the music and film industry, Ne-Yo faced several legal issues throughout his career. He was driving recklessly without having a driving license in Cobb County, Georgia in 2008 and as a result, the singer was arrested. Later in 2011 Ne-Yo and Pitbull were sued by Lindsay Lohan after using her name in their single Give Me Everything. Nevertheless, the judge ruled that Ne-Yo was within his privilege to mention her name under the First Amendment.
Real Estate:
Ne-Yo has a net worth of a whopping $9 million so he likes to spend his millions on buying properties. Just before Ne-Yo took an executive position at Motown Records, in 2011 he spend over $1.5 million on a beautiful mansion located in Alfredo, Georgia. The mansion spanned over 13,000 square feet of space, located in the community of Windward the Enclave. His former home boasted 9 bedrooms, 4 full baths, and 3 half baths. After spending a couple of years in this house, the singer listed it for about $1.59 million. But he didn’t have much luck with buyers lowering the price to about $1.16 million taking a loss of $400 thousand on the sale. Ne-Yo owns two condos in the upscale neighborhood of Buckhead Atlanta. Buying one for $285 thousand back in 2007 which is a pretty basic two bedrooms condo on a lower level of a posh high-rise building. In 2012 he bought another house which cost a bit more than $550,000 and it’s apparently where his mother still resides. This house spanned 5,900 square feet of space with 6 beds and 5 baths and features a finished terrace.
In the very next year, Ne-Yo paid $1.16 million for a penthouse on top of the Gallery residences. A luxe building boasting amenities such as a fitness center, swimming pool, tennis courts, club room, landscape, courtyard, and an art gallery. Since 2015 this 3,000-square feet penthouse has been co-owned by his ex and mother of his two kids Monyetta Shaw. In 2019 Ne-Yo also unloaded his family-sized mansion in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles. He bought this house in 2017 for about $1.9 million. The cape cod-style home offered 5 beds and 6 baths and was decorated with white moldings and cabinets. The entertainment areas in this place are extended outside where the grounds boast a pool and Spa with waterfall features as well as other ads like a barbecue area. The smart house also features an iPad controlling music and lighting.
Ne-Yo Net Worth:
As of 2023, Ne-Yo Net Worth is estimated to be around $9 million. He is one of the most popular singer-songwriters in the country and has released numerous hit singles throughout his successful career. He has worked with many artists like Kanye West, Rihanna, and Pitbull and released top charting singles. The singer also has a YouTube channel where he has over 4.5 million subscribers. The majority of his income comes from music such as record sales, live concerts, successful collaborations, tours, as well as brand endorsements. Ne-Yo has sold over 20 million records and he is still working on several upcoming projects.
Endorsement:
Over the years, Ne-Yo appeared in numerous television commercials including Malibu Red, UNICEF’s Believe in Zero ad campaign, Alfani Red men’s suits, and many more. He has done endorsement work for brands such as Alexander McQueen, All Saints, Android Homme, Anthony Franco, and Nike, among others. Fred Durst’s Net Worth Mc Hammer’s Net Worth
