10 Famous musicians who started out behind the scenes – You will be surprised to see this! (With Pictures)
2. Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo was signed by Columbia Records in 2000 but the label dropped him before he could release his first album. Instead, one the of the songs he wrote for himself “That Girl” was recorded by Marques Houston. After that he contributed songs to albums for Christina Milian, Mary J. Blige, and Faith Evans. But his big breakthrough came when he wrote the hit “Let Me Love You” for Mario. The song’s success inspired Def Jam CEO Jay-Z to sign Ne-Yo to a solo artist deal.
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In 2006, he released his debut album, In My Own Words, which spawned successful singles “So Sick”, and “Sexy Love”. Since then he’s collaborated with many top artists like Mariah Carey and Pitbull. He’s continued to write for other artists and in 2012 was awarded the Hal David Starlight award from the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame which recognizes young songwriters who have made an impact on the industry.