Ne-Yo’s latest country music quest caused concern before he even started out.
The R&B star, born Shaffer Smith, had to work through a negative premonition about the Nashville music scene bestowed upon him by friends in the industry.
“It came with all these warnings and all this fear that people were trying to put on me,” Ne-Yo said during an appearance on Rolling Stone’s “Nashville Now” podcast.
“They’re not real accepting of anything outside of what they do over there. In Nashville, it’s really cliquey, and if you don’t know this person or if you haven’t done this … I hate to admit it, but I came out here kind of expecting something like that.”
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Despite what he heard about Music City, Ne-Yo’s experience has been the “exact opposite” while working on his as-yet-untitled “country-inspired” album.
“Every single person that I’ve worked with out here has embraced what I’m trying to do with open arms,” Ne-Yo declared.
“Everybody’s interested and intrigued about how I’m going to take what I do and what country music is and fuse them together and what that could sound like. Everybody’s just been real receptive.
“So, I’m waiting to meet whoever the hell it is that is going to be the bane of my Nashville existence. This person has not reared their head yet.”
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The “Closer” singer was so wrong about his perception of Music City he’s considering putting down permanent roots.
“I’m debating on whether or not I should move to Nashville,” he said. “It’s looking like that because I’m absolutely loving it out here, loving the atmosphere. I love writing out here.”
Ne-Yo also reflected on the impact country music has had on his life before praising the vulnerability in Dolly Parton’s ’73 anthem, “Jolene.”
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“That’s such a human song, you know what I mean? It’s not because it’s not about, you know, the stroke of the ego, which is kind of what a lot of music is today. … She’s literally begging another woman not to steal her man,” he said. “Everybody’s too cool for a song like that nowadays, you know what I mean?
“I just love that country music is bold enough to go there and really show emotion … human emotion. You don’t gotta be the coolest guy in the room in a country song.
“You could have a dog in a truck and a regular 9 to 5, and country music is celebrating you.
“In R&B music, you’ve got to be the sexiest guy, and you’ve got to get the girl every time, and you gotta have all the money. … And it’s like, that is not the reality of 80% of the world. That’s not real, that’s not what it is.”
