Ne-Yo is one of the genre-defining R&B singers of the 2000s, and his invite to NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series was long overdue.
The long-time bad-boy R&B singer made his Tiny Desk debut on Friday (April 26), which saw him run through a medley of soulful hits from his catalog, in addition to bops he’s penned for the likes of Mario, Rihanna and Beyoncé.
Draped in a bedazzled all-white getup and his signature fedora hat, Ne-Yo fittingly kicked off his set with his “Because of You” anthem before moving into his introduction to the world with “So Sick” and the volcanic “Sexy Love.”
“I’ve written a couple songs since I’ve been doing this thing, some of them you may know,” Ne-Yo said before switching gears to a few covers. “Matter of fact, I’m gonna jump into some of the ones that I’ve written, that you may or may not know.”
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He proceeded to deliver tuneful covers in an homage to his lethal pen with Rihanna’s “Take a Bow,” Bey’s “Irreplaceable” and Mario’s “Let Me Love You.”
Ne-Yo also debuted a new redemptive track titled “Two Million Secrets,” which he described as more of a confessional. “This song took a little bit of growth on my part to even write, and even more to sing. This song is basically about owning your s–t … Nobody is above mistakes, nobody is above redemption. You do better and you keep pushing,” he said. “This song is not a song, this song is a confession.”
The three-time Grammy winner uplifted the room by signing off with his classic anthem “Miss Independent,” which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2008. “A dedication to my favorite kind of woman, the independent woman,” he testified.
Watch Ne-Yo’s Tiny Desk concert performance below.