R+P Post 12: Artists/bands that have influenced my ideas

Ne-yo has been my major influence and inspiration behind how I want my artist to be marketed and presented. Ne-Yo is a 38 year old American singer who is well known for his R&B music during the early 200's, however he is now more of a producer and songwriter for other artists.

In early 2006, Ne-Yo released his debut album 'In My Own Words' which was boosted by his popular  single "So Sick". The album debuted at number one on Billboard 200, selling over 301,000 copies in its first week on sale. During the same week, his single 'So Sick' had reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The album has since been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America due to selling over 1 million records.

IMDB bio of Ne-Yo

Ne-yo's third album 'The Year of The Gentleman' was his first international release and when explaining his reasoning behind the title he was quoted saying: "To me Year of the Gentleman is all about a persona, a swag and a charm. I made an assessment of the music business. And, in my personal opinion, the essence of the gentleman is absent right now. Everybody kinda looks the same, everybody's kinda doing the same thing, everybody's kinda rude and full of themselves. Whereas a gentleman is calm, courteous, kind, charming... So that title basically represents me trying to lead by example, and showing these cats what it is to be a gentleman in this business still."

To many Ne-Yo is seen as an inspiration due to his unique style of song writing, which unlike the majority of other R&B songs do not objectify any genders but instead seek to idealise the classic romance of a guy chasing the unattainable girl and getting her. This style has rewarded him with being nominated for the 'Best Contemporary R&B Album' and 'Album of the Year' at the 2009 Grammy Awards for his work on 'The Year of The Gentleman'. This album also went onto be certified platinum.

Ne-Yo at the 2009 Grammy awards

Example of Ne-Yo' style

Example of Ne-Yo' style

Ne-Yo has also been a main inspiration for us in terms of his style as well. He personifies a smart and respected gentleman but with a 'swaggy' ans stylish twist, i.e. through his hat and chains.