Ne-Yo's New Tracks Get The Seal Of Approval From MJ

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Ne-Yo's New Tracks Get The Seal Of Approval From His First Love -- And Michael Jackson


'It feels like you're complimenting me,' King of Pop says of Ne-Yo's 'Nobody.


By Jennifer Vineyard, with additional reporting by Tim Kash

Ne-Yo is only on his third album, but already he has established a couple of themes that run through all his work. The R&B singer/songwriter has decided that each album has to have at least one tribute to his first love and one song that pays homage to his musical icon, Michael Jackson.

"Anybody who has been following Ne-Yo from the start knows that I'm a huge, huge Michael Jackson fan," the singer explained. "And love is one of the few things on the face of this planet that will never go out of style."

The MJ tribute on Ne-Yo's forthcoming album Year of the Gentleman, due in August, is called "Nobody." It's a club-thumping follow-up to his current single, "Closer."

While "Closer" is about a dancefloor hookup between two strangers, "Nobody" presents a different scenario. "Say she didn't give you anything, but instead she just started dancing, and it was the most amazing thing you've ever seen," Ne-Yo said. "It's like she's untouchable, like it would be a sin to touch her or dance with her, with what's going on with her right now."

When Ne-Yo played the track for Jackson, with whom he's currently working, he got a positive response. "He told me that he likes the way I do Michael Jackson," Ne-Yo beamed. "I asked him what he meant by that, and he said, 'When you do that, it doesn't feel like you're trying to copy me or trying to be me. It feels like you're complimenting me.' And that's what I'm doing. It means the world that he liked it."

full story:

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1589975/20080625/ne_yo.jhtml?rsspartner=rssYahooNewscrawler
 
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"I asked him what he meant by that, and he said, 'When you do that, it doesn't feel like you're trying to copy me or trying to be me. It feels like you're complimenting me.' And that's what I'm doing. It means the world that he liked it."

RIIIGHT!

That's why i like ne yo more than ALL of them (cb, JT, usher)...cuz that is how it's supposed to be. "inspired" should seem like he's giving a 'nod' to MJ, not be a carbon copy of him.

see, MJ knows what's up. I know he knows there are cats out there that really need help with something called ORIGINALITY.
 
With careful review I have changed the policy of posting certain things out of the news thread which will spark more interest in discussing current events in the news of Michael Jackson. So with this thread I shall reopen it and you are invited to discuss this topic.
 
good decision, thanks.

and the tune is like a collage of MJ through the years lol a bit weird..

Ne-Yo's done better with Mike's influence before - MJ's comment for this cut is just too kind imo.
 
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boom lol my ears switched off before making those connectios
f_laugh.gif
 
boom lol my ears switched off before making those connectios
f_laugh.gif

:lol: I visualized it immediately. The beat is "Billie Jean" esque, the music has the "Off the Wall" approach, the melody is a mixture of "Another Part..."/"Off the Wall" and the chorus reminds me of "I can't let, I can't let her get away..." :lol:

I'm quick witit. ;)
 
yeah the Billie Jean beat is easy because, well the sneaky bugger's beats are always Billie Jean-esque lol

but yeah, this tune's weird.. like a pound's worth of a Pick And Mix for MJ fans.
 
When Ne-Yo played the track for Jackson, with whom he's currently working, he got a positive response. "He told me that he likes the way I do Michael Jackson," Ne-Yo beamed. "I asked him what he meant by that, and he said, 'When you do that, it doesn't feel like you're trying to copy me or trying to be me. It feels like you're complimenting me.' And that's what I'm doing. It means the world that he liked it."


i love that expression! so lovely, cute and beautiful. im so impressed! :wub:
 
He makes top ten hits but he's THE carbon copy of them all

but I resepct him as a producer and song writer.
 
"He told me that he likes the way I do Michael Jackson," Ne-Yo beamed. "I asked him what he meant by that, and he said, 'When you do that, it doesn't feel like you're trying to copy me or trying to be me. It feels like you're complimenting me.' And that's what I'm doing. It means the world that he liked it."

and this is exactly how I feel about Ne-Yo's music
and I really... I mean really looooooooooooooove it!:D
 
"Nobody" doesn't even sound like a tribute to MJ. If anything, "Closer" does. They're both very good songs though.
 
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I think the beat sounds very MJ like..idk it just does.....i think it does...i think MJ might have picked the beats and sounds....MJ has a style of beats....and this sounds MJISH LOL..
 
^lol mmmkay....???

:blink: ??

I wasn't replying to you. All over blogs they're talking about Ne-Yo's "Nobody" as some kind of an MJ tribute. I was just saying I don't really think it sounds as MJ-ish as "Closer" does.

... Unless you're talking about something else??
 
I liked the track except for the weird sythesiser type noise of which the last tone has no bearing to the beat.
You mean at like :54 - :57? Ya, it is a bit strange. Sounds like it's echoing the lyrics (nobody, nobody...) but it doesn't quite fit rhythmically somehow to me either. Those breathy 'hah', 'heh'-type vocals at the beginning are very remindful of MJ's vocals in the song Off The Wall.

I really like this track! I can totally see MJ dancing to it. :yes: Think I will too... *boogies*
 
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and this Michael.... in such a clever way he just said how he feels about all his imitators ...not only about Ne-Yo.... read it carefully.....
that's the way he is

props for you, Mike!:D
 
You mean at like :54 - :57? Ya, it is a bit strange. Sounds like it's echoing the lyrics (nobody, nobody...) but it doesn't quite fit rhythmically somehow to me either. Those breathy 'hah', 'heh'-type vocals at the beginning are very remindful of MJ's vocals in the song Off The Wall.

I really like this track! I can totally see MJ dancing to it. :yes: Think I will too... *boogies*

Yes that's exactly it....wish I could remove it lol
 
:blink: ??

I wasn't replying to you. All over blogs they're talking about Ne-Yo's "Nobody" as some kind of an MJ tribute. I was just saying I don't really think it sounds as MJ-ish as "Closer" does.

... Unless you're talking about something else??

No, it's just that you're saying it doesn't sound like MJ, but even MJ thinks it sounds like MJ.
 
:lol:

I guess what I was trying to say was after listening to "Closer", the song "Nobody" doesn't sound as MJ-ish.

Damn, I'm just gonna say it... Yeah, Michael lied to Ne-Yo. :lol:
Psh, we all know Mike was just trying to play nice. You don't know it, but he was actually sitting there like "What the f*ck?"
No no, I'm sure Michael got up, put tape on his fingers, and danced for hours to Ne-Yo's song. ;)

That is kind of ridiculous though, Michael Jackson said the song sounds like a Michael Jackson song and here I am saying "No, it doesn't"... :mellow:
 
:lol:

I guess what I was trying to say was after listening to "Closer", the song "Nobody" doesn't sound as MJ-ish.

Damn, I'm just gonna say it... Yeah, Michael lied to Ne-Yo. :lol:
Psh, we all know Mike was just trying to play nice. You don't know it, but he was actually sitting there like "What the f*ck?"
No no, I'm sure Michael got up, put tape on his fingers, and danced for hours to Ne-Yo's song. ;)

That is kind of ridiculous though, Michael Jackson said the song sounds like a Michael Jackson song and here I am saying "No, it doesn't"... :mellow:

hahaha!!! @ the bolded
 
dude learned rock with you human nature, and a few MJ era tracks from off the wall-bad and has made a gumbo out of a sloppy Joe meal and is being called something that he ain'. dude is so average and Broke it hurts. same song all the time.
 
dude learned rock with you human nature, and a few MJ era tracks from off the wall-bad and has made a gumbo out of a sloppy Joe meal and is being called something that he ain'. dude is so average and Broke it hurts. same song all the time.

:yes: :yes:
 
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