GRAMMY Award winning singer and songwriter Ne-Yo checked in with RADIO.COM's Poet as the two discussed a wide variety of topics including the World of Dance, how his time in quarantine ultimately saved his marriage, working with the late Naya Rivera, the importance of voting, and of course, music.
When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, Ne-Yo was wrapping up shooting of the fourth season of World of Dance. As they got the news about the pandemic, Ne-Yo said everyone involved in the show had to leave immediately following the conclusion of filming. "We didn't know what it was or how serious it was," he said. "I got on a plane, got back into Atlanta and posted up."
"Mind you, me and my wife was in the process of divorcing, but now we’re back in the house together again.”
Prior to the pandemic, Ne-Yo was going through a divorce with his wife Crystal Smith. "The story is out there, everybody knows what’s going on," he said and revealed people had mixed reactions to the news. It was an incredibly difficult time for him.
"I have to put on a face in public because I can’t let the world know that I’m destroyed inside, because I was," he admitted. "I feel like I failed. I feel like I failed as a husband, feel like I failed as a man, it was bad."
Then, quarantine happened. Because of the uncertainty at the beginning of the pandemic, the most important thing was to keep his family close. “Regardless of us not liking each other, this is my family at the end of the day," Ne-Yo said.
He admitted things were tense when he first came home, but he and his wife made the decision to hash things out.
"We did that, there was some crying and there was some yelling. But, where we ultimately got to was, above anything else, I love you, I love you enough to die in your place should I ever have to make that decision. If you love somebody like that, y’all should be able to get through whatever else," he said.
Ne-Yo also touched on his music and how it's the main driver of his work. He said he doesn't care about fame or having millions of fans, but has a simple reason he keeps pushing on. “Music has been my therapy, music has always been that angel on my shoulder, the devil on this year. Music has always been there.”
“I’m not in the business of selling albums, that’s the record label’s job," he said. "My job is to make this music and to make it as good as I can possibly make it in hopes that it’s going to help somebody else live their lives and do their thing a little better.”
Ne-Yo also teased his upcoming album and Poet had a great suggestion for the title. Poet is Dope.
We’ll see whether or not he decides to run with it, but we’ll find out more in the not too distant future.
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