Let Ne-Yo Love You

Of course, his fans know that Ne-Yo is only his alias but his real name is Shaffer C. Smith, into his early 20s and born into a family of musicians from Arkansas, USA. But his parents separated when Ne-Yo was a little boy and he was raised single-handedly by his mother. It was a childhood experience that left Ne-Yo with bitterness and anger in his heart which he channeled into the songs he wrote in his early years.

No wonder he seems to long for love in some of the songs that he writes because of the emptiness left by his absentee father, such as Let Me Love You (co-written with Scott Storch and Kam Houf, sung by R&B artist Mario) which, Ne-Yo said, “touched hearts and made you feel good in your soul” and gave people a glimpse into the mind of a true writer. “It’s a great song,” said Ne-Yo, “and I’m really happy to have written it.”

His debut album, In My Own Words, produced such hits as So Sick and When You’re Mad. His second, also released locally by MCA Music, is titled Because Of You, because of the people who inspire him to make music...because of the love of the music...because of the fans. And, added Ne-Yo, “It’s because of you that I do what I do.”

Ne-Yo’s songs, especially those about heartache and blissful love, are said to have changed the way people, including Filipinos, “embrace their own moments of heartbreak and romantic ecstasy.” He bagged the Best Contemporary R&B Album award for Because of You in the recent Grammys. Other honors: 2006 Billboard’s Male R&B Artist of the Year and Best Hip-Hop Artist of the Year; and 2006 Billboard nominee as Male Artist of the Year, New Artist of the Year and R&B Hip-Hop Single of the Year (for So Sick).

Conversations did an exclusive 20-minute interview with Ne-Yo by phone yesterday (again, as in the case of other foreign artists, The STAR was the only Philippine broadsheet he talked to). He will perform at the Araneta Coliseum on Feb. 29 and March 1.

Excerpts:

Good morning from the Philippines; “good evening” in New York.

“Hey, how are you doing?”

I’m okay. I hope you are.

“Oh yes, I am.”

Let’s go straight to the interview. You are described as “a master in the art of story-telling.” Where do you think you got this talent?

“Ahhhh. I will have to say that came from my very vivid imagination and from a very exciting household. I grew up with my mother, my sister, my grandmother and about five of my aunts. All in the same house. Everybody in the house loves a good story which we relate to other people.”

What were your favorite stories from your childhood?

“I was a huge Dr. Seuss fan when I was little; I had all of the Dr. Seuss books. I also loved the stories by Mark Silverstein — you know, the author who wrote the story about someone who walked into the giving tree, and stuff like that.”

How was it being brought up by a single parent?

“Oh, it was hard at times. You know, mom had to be mom and dad. I think that being the strong woman that she was made me the kind of guy that I am now. She created who I am in every aspect; she gave me life and she taught and showed me how to be a man as best as she could. I think she did a damn good job, if I may say so myself.”

Why did you choose Ne-Yo as an alias?

“The name Ne-Yo came from a producer friend of mine. He said that in his opinion, I was making music the way Ne-Yo seemed to make it. 

As a joke, he started calling me Ne-Yo and the name stuck, you know. And then, everybody started calling me Ne-Yo and it became my name.”

How did you discover your talent for writing songs?

“Oh, I think that came from my mom. After my mom and dad split up...they separated when I was really young...I had a lot of aggravation and anger inside of me about just, you know, not having a dad around. My mom saw that early on, so she was the first one to give me a pen and tell me to write it down. At that time, I didn’t understand what she meant; all I realized was that my feelings and emotions were bothering me.”

No wonder your first songs were too personal.

“That’s because I wrote them like diary entries, you know. I wrote about what happened to me throughout the day and, you know, stuff like that. Whenever I was mad or sad, or whatever mood I was in, I would write about it and then I wasn’t mad or sad or whatever anymore. I wrote in my diary not only songs but also poems and short stories.”

So writing has become some kind of a therapy for you, an outlet for your angst?

“A therapy for me? Yes, definitely!”

Do you have any idea how your father is? When was the last time you saw him?

“My father? Oh, the last time I saw him was around middle of last year. My folks and I live in L.A. and my dad is living in Arkansas; he has a new wife, and I have a new big brother over there. Yeah, he’s good, he’s good!”

Are you okay with him now?

“Hmmmm...It’s okay. I mean, it’s not like he still wants to see my mother but I would say that, yeah, there isn’t much anger or animosity between us now.”

Which artists influenced your music? Who are your role models?

“Well, I’ll have to say Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Sammy Davis Jr. and Prince. You know, I like everybody for different reasons. Prince is everything; I look at him as the complete performer. He’s a singer, dancer, songwriter, composer and actor; he’s pretty much got everything. And that’s what I aspire to become.”

You’ve written songs for the likes of Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige, B2K, Alicia Keys, Faith Evans, Musiq, Rihanna (Unfaithful), Beyoncé Knowles  (Irreplaceable), Britney Spears, Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer Hudson, Whitney Houston and many others. How do you determine what type of song to write for what type of singer?

“You know, you have to know the artist, you have to do a little bit of homework and research before you sit down to write the song.”

Before, when you were younger, anger motivated you to write. What inspires you now to write songs?

“Oh, it’s simply the love for the craft. You know, I love to make music, I love to sing. That’s really all the inspiration that I need — the joy of doing it.”

Your motto is “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Why that?

“Exactly! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Why that one? Because it makes sense.  

If something is working the way it is, the way it should, then why mess with it?”

Aside from when you’re angry, do you write better and easier when you’re sad or when you’re heart-broken or when you’re in love?

“Ahhhh...I think it all depends. It depends on what I feel at the moment I’m writing the song. Every emotion produces a different song, you know. If I’m sad and I write about being sad, it’s gonna come out too sad so I try to revise it. If I’m angry, I write about something that’s missing — you know, just to get my mind away from what’s making me sad or what I’m missing. If I’m happy, then I just write...whatever, you know...and see what happens.”

Aside from your own songs, what other types of songs do you love listening to?

“I’m a melody-and-lyrics guy, so for the song, any song, to impress me it has to have good melody and good lyrics. I love the songs of Amy Winehouse and those of John Lennon. They know what it is to write songs that are gonna appeal to people; they know how to write melodies that make people want to sing, you know.”

What’s your all-time favorite song?

“I have not just one but many favorite songs. One is Lady in My Life by Michael Jackson. Another is Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic by Prince. Certainly by Billy Ocean. One more would have to be Written in the Sky by Stevie Wonder.”

You also write about heartbreak. How many times have you been heartbroken?

“Yes, yes, definitely! I’ve been heartbroken. You know, I’ve been heartbroken more times than I care to remember. But being heartbroken is a part of love. You know, you can’t have light without darkness, you know. It is what it is. You can’t avoid pain because pain is a part of life.”

And who or what is your greatest love?

“Right now, my greatest love is my family and my music. They are what matters to me the most right now. By family, I mean, my immediate family, including my cousins, and the people I am working with.”

Your favorite charity is for disadvantaged youth. Why them?

“I have my own foundation. It’s called The Compound Foundation. We are trying to raise money for disadvantaged youth and to build group homes for them. We want to help them become useful members of society and prevent them from becoming criminals.”

What can we expect from your concert in the Philippines on Feb. 29 (Friday) and March 1 (Saturday)?

“It’s my first time to go to the Philippines and it’s something new for me. I heard that I have a lot of fans out there and I’m thankful to them. I promise them a memorable show. I will do all the songs that they want to hear.”

What do you know about the Philippines?

“Oh, I heard that it’s hot over there right now; it’s 90-degrees but it’s raining.”

Are you staying for a few days after the concert and visit some places?

“I don’t know...But I hope so. But normally, when I take this kind of trip I don’t really do the tourist thing too much. I did hear that the Philippines is such a beautiful country.”

You could fall in love not just with the place but with the beautiful women?

“Is that so? He, he, he!”

(Note: Ne-Yo: Live in Manila on Feb. 29 and March 1 at the Araneta Coliseum is presented by San Mig Light in cooperation with Smart Buddy, CloseUp, Lipton Milk Tea, Philippine Airlines and The Philippine STAR. And also by Rexona Teens, Human, e-aji, ABS-CBN and EDSA Shangri-La, along with Converse, Petron XCS, ETC, Jack TV and MCA Music. Tickets are still available at all SM Ticketnet outlets at tel no. 911-5555 or call  tel. nos. 374-2222 and 374-9999.)

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