He’s a Grammy award winning singer, a songwriter, composer, and producer, one of music’s most talented and prolific artists and a man who needs only one name: Ne-Yo. In less than five years, he’s produced three No.1 albums, sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and collaborated with everyone from Michael Jackson to Tim McGraw. After taking a few years off to work on several films, Ne-Yo’s now back with his fourth new soulful album titled “Libra Scale”, a stellar effort that’s sure to race up the local charts and catapult the R&B superstar to even greater heights.
Interestingly, Neyo did something different this time by creating a storybook version of the album, adding a comic element, with the help of Veteran Marvel comics head honcho Stan Lee. Libra Scale is a monumental concept album that tells the story of the rise of R&B’s first superhero squad, The Gentleman, a trio of garbage men who are granted all that they’ve ever wanted--special powers, money, fame, women-- after encountering a mysterious figure. The only catch? The men must use their powers to fight crime in their city and must never ever fall in love. Not a problem until Jerome (Ne-Yo) meets Pretti Sinclair, a vivacious, no-nonsense beauty. He quickly captures her heart. But all goes awry when after a night of passion, Pretti Sinclair contracts a strain of Jerome’s superpowers and suffers an adverse reaction that effectively drives her crazy and transforms her into a villain (Diamond Eye) that terrorizes the entire city. Now, Jerome is left to decide, will he choose “the love of his life” or his own “love of life?” This dilemma fuels Libra Scale.
Once the story was complete, the songs poured out easily. In less than four months Ne-Yo wrote and recorded 60 songs, 12 of which ultimately made the album. “Every one of my albums has had a point, some kind of message,” Ne-Yo explains. “The underlying question on this album is money, power and fame vs. love. Weigh it out on the Libra scale. Which will you choose? It’s really a question of morality. I want people to question how they live their lives. I’m showing them the pros and cons of both sides.”
Elaborate concepts and visuals aside, at its core Libra Scale is vintage Ne-Yo: sophisticated songwriting, beautiful melodies and a voice that’s as supple as it is powerful. Ne-Yo’s continuous evolution and dynamism as an artist are what draw his Filipino fans and the rest of the world to loving the distinct music that he creates, making each single an ultimate hit across the country’s charts. After having two consecutive concerts in Manila, Ne-Yo’s fans and R&B enthusiasts can’t seem to get enough of his music and are always in anticipation of another knock-out hit single following his grand hits such as “Go On Girl,” “So Sick,” “Sexy Love,” “Because of You,” “Mad” and his current hit single “Beautiful Monster” among many others. Ne-Yo’s sexy, soulful voice in also another hit single in this album, “One In A Million” is absolutely euphoric and will sure to put listeners in the mood to pop some bubbly and bring on the party season!
As one of the industry’s most sought after songwriters, Ne-Yo has gladly shared his prodigious talents with his fellow artists, penning number one hits for Beyonce (“Irreplaceable”), Rihanna (“Take A Bow”) and Mario (“Let Me Love You”), as well as chart toppers for Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Kanye West, Lionel Richie and many more. All three of Ne-Yo’s previous albums--2006’s “In My Own Words,” 2007’s “Because of You,” 2008’s “Year of the Gentleman”—have gone platinum and produced a slew of top 10 hits. Hollywood has also embraced him, both in front of and behind the camera. He’s written music for films like The Princess and the Frog, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire and I Can Do Bad All by Myself. Meanwhile, he’s appeared on screen in handful of films, including Stomp the Yard and Save the Last Dance 2. Music, however, will always be his first love, he says.
When asked how he’s evolved as an artist, Ne-Yo’s answer is simple: “I’m not afraid anymore,” he says. “When you’re first starting out you try so hard to get in the business and when you finally do get in, you don’t want to do anything to piss anybody off. You’re afraid you might get kicked out. With this album I really want to drive home the fact that I’m an artist thru and thru. This is 100 percent an expression of myself, with no apologies made and no playing it safe.” This stellar deluxe album showcases 10 new tracks including his current massive hits, “Beautiful Monster,” “Champagne Life” and “One In A Million” plus 6 bonus DVD tracks of behind the scenes, trailer and music videos of these hits.
Ne-Yo’s new album, “Libra Scale” is exclusively released under MCA Music, Inc. To Download Ne-Yo’s hit single “Beautiful Monster” as a Ringback Tone, just text the codes:
- KH650 and send to 2332 for Globe & Touch Mobile subscribers
- BMONS and send to 2728 for Smart & Talk & Text subscribers
- For SUN subscribers, Text 5491243 and send to 2300 (P15 for 15 days)
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