Ne-Yo believes “heartache makes for great song lyrics”.
The 42-year-old singer admits RnB music has always made the “most sense” to him, and he still loves being able to express himself through his music.
The chart-topping star – whose real name is Shaffer Smith – shared: “RnB has always meant most sense to me.
“It’s always been the genre of music that I can really express that level of emotion with.”
Ne-Yo admits that love songs, in particular, really stir his emotions.
He told The Independent: “It’s always been an uncomfortable truth that heartache makes for great song lyrics.”
Ne-Yo filed to divorce his wife, Crystal Renay, in 2020. But the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a turning point for their relationship and they ultimately gave their romance another try, after co-parenting amid the health crisis.
The singer – who has Roman, four, and Shaffer, six, with Crystal, as well as Mason, ten, and Madilyn, 11, with actress Monyetta Shaw – said: “We really used to be bad about letting things fester.
“But we’ve gotten better at finding our way to the resolution sooner, as opposed to just staying mad for however long. That’s not healthy for you, or your marriage.”
Ne-Yo touches on their struggles on one of the songs on his new album.
On ‘Don’t Love Me’, he urges Crystal to reconsider their romance and he also admits to making mistakes during their relationship.
The award-winning star – whose new album is called ‘Self-Explanatory’ – shared: “I asked her if she was OK with me putting it on the album, because it’s such a personal record.”