He performs with confidence, but Ne-Yo was very shy as a kid, and even as an adult, sometimes has trouble looking people in the eye.
He was born Shaffer Chimere Smith, but earned the nickname Ne-Yo when a producer friend compared his ability to "see" music to Neo's ability to see the Matrix in the 1999 film The Matrix.
Ne-Yo was always artistic, but he focused on painting. The music bug bit him when, on a dare, he performed Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" at a talent show to an enthusiastic crowd.
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