Ne-Yo comes to Chicago Theatre

With a Grammy-winning album and a gentleman’s swagger, R&B recording artist and songwriter Ne-Yo is on a roll.

Ne-Yo, born Shaffer Chimere Smith, has five top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and two No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 including "So Sick," "Closer," and "Miss Independent" from his three albums, "In My Own Words," "Because of You" and "Year of the Gentleman."

The 29-year-old has also written countless songs for artists such as Rihanna, Beyonce Knowles, Mary J. Blige, B2K, Faith Evans, Musiq, Chris Brown and Usher.

Ne-Yo explained that almost all of the songs he’s written are based on reality, such as "Irreplaceable," which is about a family member who set a boyfriend’s belongings to the left when she broke up with him and "So You Can Cry" after a friend of his broke up with her boyfriend.

“I think I may have written one fictitious song ever, and I can’t even remember what song that is, but normally it comes from an experience that I’ve gone through or a friend or a family member or anyone who’s close enough to tell me their story in graphic detail,” Ne-Yo told the Defender.

And then there are songs he created from observation, like "Miss Independent" and "She Got Her Own" featuring Jamie Foxx.

“'Miss Independent' is about the type of women I grew up with and the kind of woman I want in my life when I decide to settle down,” said Ne-Yo. “I just think it’s cool to be with a woman that if for whatever reason you drop the ball, she gone pick it up and keep running and make sure y’all score.”

Ne-Yo will be performing Friday at the Chicago Theatre.

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