Ne-Yo facts: Singer's age, wife, children, songs, height and more revealed

29 January 2021, 16:45 | Updated: 8 February 2022, 17:08

Ne-Yo was one of the biggest singers of the 2000s, scoring massive hits with his R&B anthems and ballads.

In 2004, Ne-Yo became highly sought-after when he wrote Mario's international number one single 'Let Me Love You', and it wasn't long before he was scoring hits himself.

Among his most famous songs include 'Closer', 'Miss Independent' and 'So Sick', and he has also written 'Unfaithful' and 'Take a Bow' for Rihanna, 'Irreplaceable' for Beyoncé and 'I'm You' for Leona Lewis.

His most recent album was 2018's Good Man and he currently serves as a judge on the reality show World of Dance alongside Jennifer Lopez.

But where is Ne-Yo from, how old is he and is he married? Here's all the important facts you need:

1. How old is Ne-Yo and what is his real name?

   

   Ne-Yo - So Sick (Official Music Video)

   Ne-Yo was born on October 18, 1979. He celebrated his 41st birthday in 2020.

   He was born Shaffer Chimere Smith in Camden, Arkansas. His parents were also musicians.

   As a child, he was raised by his mother after she separated from his father. His family then relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada.

   He at first adopted the stage name GoGo, and joined an R&B group called Envy.

   Later, his stage name Ne-Yo was coined by Big D Evans, a producer who once worked with the singer, because Evans claimed that Ne-Yo sees music like the character Neo sees the Matrix.

2. Is Ne-Yo married and does he have children?

   

   In 2005, his then-girlfriend Jesseca White gave birth to a boy, naming him Chimere after Ne-Yo's middle name. While Ne-Yo believed he was the father, he later discovered the child was not his.

   In 2010, Ne-Yo's girlfriend Monyetta Shaw gave birth to daughter Madilyn Grace Smith. He said at the time: "I've been in love before but this feels like nothing I've ever felt... like I'm in love for the first time."

   In 2011, Shaw and Ne-Yo welcomed their second child, Mason Evan Smith.

   In 2015, the singer announced that he and partner Crystal Renay Williams were engaged and expecting a child. They married in 2016.

   

   Their son, Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr, was born in March 2016. Their second son, Roman Alexander-Raj Smith was born in 2018.

   In 2020, Ne-Yo announced that he and Crystal Smith would end their marriage, but he withdrew his divorce case afterwards.

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   A post shared by NE-YO (@neyo)

3. How tall is Ne-Yo?

   Ne-Yo is thought to stand at around 5ft 7 ¾ (172.1 cm) tall.

   

   Ne-Yo - Closer (Official Music Video)

4. Is Ne-Yo on The Masked Singer?

   

   Badger Performs 'Because Of You' By Kelly Clarkson | Season 2 Ep. 5 | The Masked Singer UK

   In the second series of The Masked Singer on ITV, viewers have turned detective to try and figure out who each secret performer is.

   One such guess that's doing the rounds is that Ne-Yo is in fact Badger, due to the cute creature's singing voice and clues so far.

   Read more: Who is Badger on The Masked Singer?

   We'll just have to wait and see if this is the case or not...