Ne-Yo

Blessed with a smooth-as-silk voice, style and songwriting skill to match, Ne-Yo saw his song, "Let Me Love You" hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 2004, thanks to singer Mario. This songwriting success allowed Ne-Yo to release his own debut, 2006's In My Own Words, which spawned another No. 1, "So Sick." He won a Grammy for his follow-up, 2007's Because of You and scored additional critical acclaim for 2008's Year of the Gentleman, 2010's Libra Scale and 2012's R.E.D. as well as for the hits "Closer," the two-time Grammy-winning "Miss Independent," "Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)" and "Give Me Everything," his collaboration with Pitbull. When he was not penning No. 1 hits for other artists like Rihanna's "Take a Bow" and Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable," Ne-Yo made several acting appearances, including roles in the films "Stomp the Yard" (2007) and "Red Tails" (2012). An enormously gifted game-changer, Ne-Yo helped shape the direction and fusion of pop/R&B music both with music he performed as well as with music he created for other artists.