His second album, Because of You (2007), also debuted at number one and won the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album. The album also featured three singles that reached the top ten on the singles chart, including “So Sick” which reached number one. Ne-Yo’s first released solo album, In My Own Words, came out in 2006 on the Def Jam label and debuted at number one on the Billboard albums chart. This led to a recording contract and his return as a performing artist. While Ne-Yo continued to focus on writing songs, during a visit to Def Jam Recordings, he was persuaded to perform for label executives. Ne-Yo’s acclaim as a songwriter grew even more after he co-wrote Mario’s 2004 single “Let Me Love You,” which reached number one on the Billboard pop and R&B singles charts. He garnered attention after the song “That Girl” from his Columbia Records album was re-recorded by Marques Houston in 2003. Smith quickly adapted it, with a change of spelling due to copyright reasons, as his stage name. The nickname Ne-Yo was given to him by producer Deon “Big D” Evans due to his songwriting prowess, as Big D felt that Smith saw music the same way that the character Neo saw the intricacies of the matrix in the movie The Matrix. Soured by the experience, he focused on songwriting instead. Smith recorded a full-length album for Columbia Records under the performing name of Shaffer, but it was never released. After the group disbanded, he worked as a staff writer at a production company, which eventually led to a record deal with Columbia Records in 2000. While still in high school, Smith began performing with local R&B group Envy and later moved with the group to Los Angeles, California. His mother worked in a variety of jobs before becoming a bank manager, though music was a constant presence in the Smith household. After his parents separated, he relocated with his mother to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he spent the remainder of his formative years.

Smith displayed his songwriting acumen at a young age, writing his first song at the age of five. was born on October 18, 1982, in Camden (Ouachita County) to Lorraine and Shaffer Smith.

Initially known for songs he wrote for other artists, Ne-Yo began releasing solo rhythm and blues (R&B) albums of his own in 2006. Ne-Yo is one of the most prominent and active Arkansas-born recording artists and songwriters performing in the early twenty-first century.

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