Songwriter, arranger, and vocalist Ne-Yo was born Shaffer Smith inArkansas and raised in Las Vegas, NV. His start in the music industrycame as a songwriter. Prior to exiting his teenage years, he pennedmaterial for Youngstown and broke through in 2004 with Mario's "Let MeLove You," one of the most-played songs on urban radio stations acrossthe U.S. In My Own Words, the second album he recorded but the firstone to be released, came out in early 2006 and reached the top of thecharts, supported by the number one hit "So Sick.

During the same year, he appeared on Remy Ma's There's Something AboutRemy and Ghostface Killah's Fishscale, and he had a hand in writing apair of Top Ten hits: Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable" and Rihanna's"Unfaithful." Because of You, his second album, followed in May 2007.It went to number one on the Billboard 200 and Billboard'sR&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts as well, with its upbeat title tracktopping out at number two on the Hot 100. Year of the Gentleman wasissued in September 2008, but not before another series of songwritingtriumphs, including Rihanna's "Take a Bow" and Jennifer Hudson's"Spotlight." He has also written for Marques Houston, Cassidy, HeatherHeadley, Mary J. Blige, Musiq Soulchild, Janet Jackson, and Leona Lewis