Ne-Yo

Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979) better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is a Grammy Award winning American R&B recording artist, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario. The single's successful release in the United States prompted an informal meeting between Ne-Yo and Def Jam's label head, and the signing of a recording contract. In 2006, he released his debut album, In My Own Words, which contained the US number one hit "So Sick", as well as the top 10 hit "Sexy Love". In 2007, he released his second album, Because of You, which contained the US top 3 hit, Because of You. In 2008, he released his third album, Year of the Gentleman, which contained the top 10 hits Closer, Mad and Miss Independent. His fourth studio album, Libra Scale, was released on November 22, 2010. It received critical acclaim from music critics, but was a commercial disappointment, debuting at number nine on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling less than all of his previous three studio albums. In 2009, Billboard ranked him as the 57th Artist of the 2000s decade.  In 2012, Ne-Yo was awarded the Hal David Starlight Award of the Songwriter's Hall of Fame which honors gifted songwriters who are at an apex in their careers and are making a significant impact in the music industry via their original songs. --- Ne-Yo was born in Camden, Arkansas. His mother is of African American and Chinese descent, and his father is African American. Both of his parents were musicians. As a young child, he was raised by his mother after she separated from his father. In hopes of better opportunity, his mother relocated the family to Las Vegas, Nevada. While in the Las Vegas Academy, Smith adopted the stage name "GoGo" and joined an R&B group called Envy. The group disbanded in 2000, and Smith continued to write songs for other artists before starting his solo career. At an early age Neyo, emerged on the recording industry scene as member of the Romford-based quartet, Envy, which featured Chimna Orji as its leading woman. After the group disbanded in 2000,Columbia Records signed Ne-Yo, but the label dropped him before he could release his already-recorded first album. American singer Marques Houston happened to hear "That Girl", which Ne-Yo had planned to release as his debut single off his then-unreleased album. Houston re-recorded the song and released it as a single for his 2003 album MH. The release of the song led to Ne-Yo being recognized as a top songwriter. --- In 2005, Jessica White, Ne-Yo's girlfriend at the time gave birth to a boy, naming him Chimere after Ne-Yo's middle name. Though Ne-Yo believed he was the father, he later discovered the child was not his. He is now in litigation with the child's mother. In June 2010, Ne-Yo told Ebony that he and his girlfriend, Monyetta Shaw, were expecting their first child together, a girl due early in 2011. Shaw gave birth early to a girl, Madilyn Grace Smith, on November 12, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. Announcing the birth, Ne-Yo said of his first child, "I've been in love before but this feels like nothing I've ever felt...Like I'm in love for the first time." In September 2011, Ne-Yo revealed that he was expecting his second child with Monyetta Shaw. Shaw gave birth to a boy, Mason Evan Smith, on October 9, 2011.