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Can Ne-Yo get Jacko's crown back?
Crafting tunes for its princesses leads to work with pop's king
Heather Adler, CanWest News Service
Published: Tuesday, August 07, 2007What do Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Beyonc , Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Enrique Iglesias have in common? One man: Ne-Yo.
You might know the multi-platinum R&B superstar for his own ingenious take on soul and flawless vocal croonings, but when he's not busy breaking the hearts of millions as a solo artist, he's crafting today's biggest hits for the most successful of ber-stars. In just one week, his songs had 189.5 million radio listeners, making Ne-Yo one of the most-heard and sought-after songwriters of our time -- and you had no idea. But that's OK with this Las Vegas-raised, Def Jam star -- he doesn't want to be a star anyway.
"Anytime I get to work with Rihanna is a pleasure because she's really, really my little sister. We punch each other and make practical jokes and all that stuff," Ne-Yo enthuses of his time spent writing the Barbados beauty's "Unfaithful," "Good Girl Gone Bad" and "Hate That I Love You," among others. "Beyonc is one of the easiest people to work with, not just because she's so nice but because she's so good to work with. Literally, I can give her a song and be like, 'Here you go. I'll be back in 30. Bye.' I come back, and the song is done. I don't have to be there. She does it all herself. It's beautiful to hear something that I put together and to have her put her stamp on it."
View Larger ImageNe-Yo says the day he thinks of himself as a celebrity is the day he punches himself in the face.
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Printer friendlyWhile he's enjoyed scripting hits, like Beyonc 's "Irreplaceable," for music's leading ladies, Ne-Yo admits he's particularly thrilled to be working for the king of pop, Michael Jackson, and taking on the daunting task of resurrecting his once unimaginably massive appeal. The pair has already started exchanging song ideas (Ne-Yo's lips are sealed to secrecy as to any specifics), but the collaboration almost derailed because the young songwriter refused to believe it was actually Jacko the first time the music legend called him.
"When Michael Jackson called me, he was like, 'Hi, this is Michael Jackson.' I said, 'This is not Michael Jackson.' He's like, 'Yeah, it's really Michael Jackson.' I said, 'C'mon man. Someone is playing with me,'" Ne-Yo laughs. "I almost hung up the phone, but then I realized it was Michael Jackson -- and then I almost dropped the phone."
Ne-Yo plans to help Jackson reclaim his crown the old-fashioned way -- by writing perfect pop songs, rather than working him into some sort of trend.
"I think when you take someone who is a little older and try to make them young again, that's where you screw up. You're not supposed to be young again," he rationalizes. "You're supposed to make music that is relevant. You're not following a trend. I don't want to go in and have Michael Jackson singing 'Hey shorty.' I'm going to do what Michael Jackson does."
Next time you hear M.J., expect to hear him singing about something torn from a page of Ne-Yo's diary. The beat-maker says all of his songs are inspired by his real-life experiences, often involving the young women who make his world go 'round. On his latest release, Because of You, Ne-Yo even thanks all the young ladies he's caused emotional duress for inspiring much of his music.
"I don't know why, but pain makes for the best song lyrics. You ever noticed that? The song about the breakup, the song about crying, those you always feel the most," he relates. While all his songs are personal, Ne-Yo explains he's never found it odd to have another artist belting out tunes inspired by his heart.
"Normally, I write a song about something, thinking I'm the only one (who understands it), then I'll let the artist hear it, and they'll be like, 'Yeah, I remember that.' And I'm like, 'No, I didn't write that about you. I wrote that about me.' And they go 'Oh, I know because I've experienced that, too,'" he explains. "I always try to make my songs relatable to everyone and, luckily, I'm a regular person, so the things that I've experienced are the things that you've experienced."
Ne-Yo's life and credentials might not seem normal, but he insists he doesn't think about himself in a star context.
"It's still weird for me to sign an autograph for somebody because I've never viewed myself as a star or a celebrity or anything. I'm actually glad I don't," he says. "I think the day I view myself as a celebrity, is the day I may quit because I think that's what makes your head get big. The day I tell someone 'Don't you know who I am?' is the day I'm going to punch myself in the face."
His ego might not be huge, but Ne-Yo continues to dream big when it comes to ambition: he still has plenty of goals he's striving hard for.
"I haven't won a Grammy yet. That's definitely something to shoot for," he notes.
"Usher sold 10 million records off of one album, I haven't done that yet. That's definitely a goal. I love what I do and I want to do this as long as God will allow me to."
The world will be listening.
