Ne-Yo unmasked: Things you did not know about the International singer

 From left,Maurice Kiria from Uganda, Damado Bling from Mozambique,Tanzanian sensation Ali Kiba, United States Artist Neyo,our very own rapper Wangeci and Nigerian artist Ice Prince Zamani

It a decade since we first heard these classics; So Sick, Sexy Love and Mad – jams that introduced us to American singer and songwriter, Ne-Yo. When he landed in Nairobi for the first time, the megastar wore very cool demeanour. He wore a simple maroon layered long sleeved burgundy sweatshirt, stone-wash rugged jeans and white kicks, without forgetting his statement hat, this time a snapback.

This look seems very different from the message many interpreted from his Year of the gentleman; for you to be a gentleman you don’t have to be wearing a suit.

“There’s nothing like a real tailored suit. I however shied away from it a little bit to show that a gentleman is more of who you are on the inside than what you wear,” he says.

What of his obsession with hats?

He takes off the snapback for everyone to get it over with. The story goes that his hairline started receding while he was in high school and from that he got picked on a lot of times. He was then the only student allowed to wear one. Ever since, it has been his trademark and the image he’s built as an artist is inseparable without some kind of hat.

His serious face shouldn’t fool you as he is quite comedic - a regular and friendly guy, he is keen to lean in and smile at the camera while taking a photo with his fans or when randomly shaking hands and hugging with the few who get the chance to get through his buffed security.

Ne-Yo says he fell in love with the welcoming and friendly nature of Kenyans from the reception all around, from his flight to his hotel room and quite generally saying he found Kenyans to be “overly nice.”

He was also quite fascinated by the Nairobi party scene as he hopped into Tamasha- Hurlingham and found it quite packed for a Monday evening.

The artiste is in Kenya to feature in Coca-Cola’s Coke Studio Africa, now in its third season and set to debut screening in October this year. On the show, he will be recording a special mash-up song alongside five other selected artistes representing Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria and Mozambique.

That Ne-Yo is a ladies’ man is reflected in the way he writes his music. “My mother is my hero and I wanted to sound like the people she listened to but I didn’t, so I hated singing for a while. She loved heavy, husky voices and I sounded like a girl till I was 16. She might have realised that and instead introduced me to people like Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder whom she also loved,” he says.

His 2015 new album, Non-Fiction is different from his previous works and is quite special to him because he got to write even more relatable songs through his fans’ experiences. This was done through his social media forums, where he was keen on reaching out to them in a way to show appreciation for their support. He also got to include in the album his experiences as an artiste.

“I’m a fan of people that have passion about music, If there was no money and they would still be doing it then those would be the kind of people that I’d love to work around because I love music that much,” he espouses his reason to believe in music.

He is already working on a music project for the upcoming second season of American hit TV series Empire. The rest remains a mystery as he doesn’t disclose much.

Yet even for him it has not been a bed of roses. After a music group he had joined disbanded, he was dropped by his record label just before he could drop his debut album and for many years his star remained in the background, as a songwriter writing hit songs such as Mario’s Let Me Love You. It was a waiting game that took almost a decade before he could finally release his debut album.

Through it all, he has picked up a few truths he would like to share. “The journey is worthy when you know where you are supposed to be. I knew where I wanted to be. I didn’t know how I was to get there or when. I just knew my destiny and never let negativity stop me. Make sure you know where you are going. Don’t let anything stop you,” he advises.