Ne-Yo’s created his own share of hits. He’s also managed to pen hits for other MC’s.
With tracks and hits written for Beyonce, he’s managed to tap into the world, mind and soul of a woman. How?
“I
will not say that I know anything about women, nobody really does, but
I may have a little more insight than the average guy…Any slight
insight I might have into the mind of a woman, I owe it all to my
mom…Growing up with her, dad checked out kinda early, so it was me,
my mom, my sister, my grandmother and like three or four of my aunties
all in the same house till I was about 16. Any experience they went
through, I was right there with them. Be it breakups, meeting a new
dude, I was right here listening to phone conversations,” he told MTV.
will not say that I know anything about women, nobody really does, but
I may have a little more insight than the average guy…Any slight
insight I might have into the mind of a woman, I owe it all to my
mom…Growing up with her, dad checked out kinda early, so it was me,
my mom, my sister, my grandmother and like three or four of my aunties
all in the same house till I was about 16. Any experience they went
through, I was right there with them. Be it breakups, meeting a new
dude, I was right here listening to phone conversations,” he told MTV.
Now, he’s ready to pen songs for some of Pop’s biggest names of the past.
“Some
artists come to me and say, ‘I love what you do, just do what you do.
Try to write me a hit.’ I try my best. If something comes out of it, it
comes out. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. It doesn’t always happen. I’m
about to start doing some stuff with Whitney Houston. I want to sit
down and pick her brain and see where she wants to go.”
artists come to me and say, ‘I love what you do, just do what you do.
Try to write me a hit.’ I try my best. If something comes out of it, it
comes out. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. It doesn’t always happen. I’m
about to start doing some stuff with Whitney Houston. I want to sit
down and pick her brain and see where she wants to go.”
Even Britney Spears sought after his help. However, her people had one request.
“One
thing they told me was, ‘No more songs about Kevin. She’s got a 12-CD
disc changer full of songs about Kevin. She don’t need no more of
those,’ …I was like, ‘All right, cool.’ It’s come along nicely, I did
about five or six for her so far. I don’t know what she’s going to
keep, but it’s coming along nicely. If I had to make a prediction,
judging not just the stuff I’ve done, but the stuff I’ve heard she’s
done with other people, I think she’s got a shot to come back. I really
do.”
thing they told me was, ‘No more songs about Kevin. She’s got a 12-CD
disc changer full of songs about Kevin. She don’t need no more of
those,’ …I was like, ‘All right, cool.’ It’s come along nicely, I did
about five or six for her so far. I don’t know what she’s going to
keep, but it’s coming along nicely. If I had to make a prediction,
judging not just the stuff I’ve done, but the stuff I’ve heard she’s
done with other people, I think she’s got a shot to come back. I really
do.”
Time will tell.
