View the R&B singer Ne-Yo’s best photo gallery.

Ne-Yo, or Shaffer Chimere Smith Jr. in real life, was born on October 18, 1979 in Camden, Arkansas. His African-American parents are both musically inclined, which is probably where he got his naturally-born talent. The 31-year old R&B singer-songwriter was raised alone by his mother after his parents separated when he was still young.

In hopes of a better life, he and his mother relocated in Las Vegas, Nevada where he joined an R&B group called Envy. In 2000 after the group was disbanded, Ne-Yo signed to Columbia Records, which was later dropped by the label after recording his unreleased first solo album. Marques Houston, an American singer who happened to hear Ne-Yo’s supposedly debut single That Girl, immediately called the latter and asked permission to include it in his album.

The release of the song led to Ne-Yo’s popularity as a top songwriter. The following couple of years of the R&B singer-songwriter were actually spent in writing songs for other artists like Youngstown, Christina Milian, Mary J. Blige and Faith Evans. Let Me Love You, a song he wrote for American singer Mario, has led Ne-Yo’s name more popular to the music industry. As a matter of fact, the song reached number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually stayed at the top spot for nine consecutive weeks.

In early 2006, Ne-Yo released his first solo album, In My Own Words, through Def Jam. His second carrier single So Sick, brought Ne-Yo to the top, which gave him over 301,000 units sold in the first week of its release. During the same week, this single topped Billboard Hot 100, followed by his other singles such as When You’re Mad and Sexy Love. Because of You, the R&B artist’s second album fueled more success, selling approximately 251,000 copies in the United States.

The year 2009 was even more successful for Ne-Yo as his two other singles Closer and Miss Independent allowed him to be nominated for 2009 Grammy Awards under various categories. Another popular single of Ne-Yo, Mad, also peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Aside from his music career, Ne-Yo also evinced his acting abilities when he was casted in film debut Save the Last Dance in 2006 and appeared in Stomp the Yard in 2007.

Like any other famous artists, Ne-Yo also experienced major controversies. On February 19, 2008, Ne-Yo was arrested for reckless driving. In June of the same year, the R&B singer was sentenced to 24 hours community service. On November 12, 2010, Ne-Yo’s girlfriend gave birth to a healthy baby girl, which they named as Madilyn Grace Smith.

Ne-Yo Photo Gallery