‘Should Be You’.
‘Cracks In Mr. Perfect’
‘Let Me Love You’.
For fans of R&B royal Ne-Yo, the above stand as just three of the strongest songs pulled from his new album, ‘R.E.D’.
However, despite heralded as one of 2012′s strongest releases critically, its slow burning sales have seen mark one of his lowest selling projects to date, following the success of 2008′s ‘Year Of The Gentlemen‘, which was certified Platinum in the US and 2x Platinum in the UK.
Now, in an exclusive interview with That Grape Juice.Net, the Compound mogul has opened up on the LP, before he embarks on his sold out UK arena tour this March.
On ‘R.E.D.’s sales he revealed:
‘I’m very proud of this album. I’m not the kind of guy that’s gonna check SoundScan every week and look at how many album’s sold and let that define success for me.
What’s been so good for me is that I know there’s a big difference between people who have heard the album and people who have bought it, but you know the number of music consumers has actually tripled over the last few years and so people get new music all the time, but we know there’s some people out there who don’t feel the need to buy it even if they like it’.
‘With that being said, I can count on one hand the amount of people who said they didn’t enjoy it compared to those who listened and really liked it. I feel so blessed when people run into me in the street and say ‘I love ‘R.E.D, it’s incredible, thanks for reminding that you’ve still got the R&B in you’. The thing is that R&B has always been there, but I love to experiment but the R&B is never going anywhere. I love it too much(laughs)’.
‘As far as the tour goes, you know- you can’t bootleg a tour, you have to get up and come out so with that would be by me looking out in the crowd and seeing how many people show up’.
As it stands, ‘R.E.D’ marks the star’s third consecutive US Top Ten album, after peaking at #4 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the R&B/Hip Hop albums chart back in November.
Two months later, the project still holds as Top Twenty position on the UK’s R&B tally, while its single ‘Let Me Love You’ is now 2x Platinum in Australia, Platinum in New Zealand and Gold in the US for sales of over half a million units.
Of course, while these overlooked stats won’t stop his naysayers from passing judgement, the proof of his success can be found in the pudding.
Pudding, that comes in the guise of a sold out arena tour in a foreign market. Pudding, that has seen the star sell out venues that oft house shows put on by the likes of Beyonce & Rihanna.
Hardly a failure, right?
29 COMMENTS
blue
January 29, 2013 at 7:08 am
what are the exact sales sam?
also
Who Started The Parking Spot Beef?
Our source, however, says no one prevented Chris and his friends from leaving the studio.
“Yeah, Chris’ car or whatever car he was rolling in was in a reserved spot,” the insider reports. “But no one was blocking him and and security told him he couldn’t park there and that’s when some fool from his crew got wild and started acting crazy and tripping out on everybody. It was just crazy because they know better but they are so hood and it makes no sense. It’s sad.”
Sad, indeed.
Things have now calmed down, to say the least, and while neither men aren’t pursing charges, police are still investigating.
Sound off, HollywoodLifers. Will Chris and Frank be friends after this
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mob: Breezy tell'em, It aint no fun when the rabbits got the gun
January 29, 2013 at 1:35 pm
why are you spaming this site with this mess? A source days later pointing fingers at Chris YAWN frank started it…
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VANNY
January 29, 2013 at 7:12 am
Girl BYE!!! you can count in one hand the number of people that did not enjoy it? your album has not even gone copper let alonegold lmfao!! i hate when artist make it seem like its no big deal when their album flops… and please stop saying albums are not selling like they use to cause that is a lie!! have several fuckin seats ne-yo girl please!! *rolls eyes*
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KissingTremaine
January 29, 2013 at 7:13 am
This tour is his saving grace cos 20k a night is impressive but he could have sold more if he didn’t sell out to pop.
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BrandNu211
January 29, 2013 at 7:17 am
Neyo is what Kelly could be if she played her card rights on Britiish x factor. He’s a flop here but he slays over there so he still makes his coins.
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Gary C
January 29, 2013 at 9:02 am
preach!
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Lana Del Slay
January 29, 2013 at 7:20 am
Neyondra spitting some truth tea but it don’t change the fact the album is a floppity flop. Good for him on the tour though cos we all know most of the other r&b girls couldn’t sell out a damn nightclub.
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JuanR
January 29, 2013 at 7:24 am
I’m listening to Should Be You and it’s a nice R&B song!
But instead he released Let Me Love You. And there is nothing wrong with that but he can release Should Be You too. JUST STAY TRUE TO YOUR FANS! People want to hear some good R&B sound.
The Pop public might buy your single but not gonna buy your album!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.facebook.com/Music.Photography.Musica.Fotografia
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dermot
January 29, 2013 at 7:45 am
if an album is good it will mother fucking sell gurl ok this album is not the proof is in the pudding
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cake like lady gaga
January 29, 2013 at 7:47 am
Only problem is, NO ONE IS CHECKING FOR NE-YO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He can also have a chair and sit his ass down…..
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Nay nay
January 29, 2013 at 8:06 am
He always has 100000 excuses! Maybe he shouldn’t have talked so much shit about other artists! FLOP!!!
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Lax
January 29, 2013 at 8:10 am
Well Ne-Yo keep hanging in there, there’s more artist to drop and help
you keep setting the charts on fiyah..
And even to this day RIHANNA filled the 02 Arena Full 10 Ten time and
this site has still not mentioned a mumbling word and have got the nerves to say fill
foreign ventures like beyonce and rihanna, Beyonce is know to fill ventures but nobody and i mean nobody ever expects RIHANNA to fill the back seat of their rolls
So when ever she get a chance to do something great, big and relatable WHY IS IT ALWAYS SWEPT UNDER THE RUG DUH!
HEY I AIN’T MAD AT You it just helps to SOLIDIFY that RIHANNA WITHOUT A DOUBT IS THE “HBIC”, THATS VERY CLEAR. AND IF RIHANNA WASN’T A HEAD BYTCH
YOU’D MENTION HER LOWS AS WELL AS HER HIGHS SO WHEN THEY ARE NOT MENTIONED HER HIGH POINTS THAT MEANS RIHANNA HAS COOKED YO GOOSE RIGHT ALONG WITH HER HATERS GOATS,,,,
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Pop Royalty
January 29, 2013 at 8:10 am
if the album is good then we will Buy!
I did enjoy some of the songs Off R.E.D. tho .
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Monstarebel
January 29, 2013 at 9:41 am
Has the album sold 300 k yet??
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JER
January 29, 2013 at 10:11 am
Trust me, Ne-Yo baby, NOBODY is checking for your album, on SoundScan or otherwise. gurlbye
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sapphier
January 29, 2013 at 10:32 am
stress reliever is my shit
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Biting Truth
January 29, 2013 at 10:34 am
You mean to tell me that his corny ass sell out pop tunes like “Let Me Love You” didn’t attract hordes of new fans to his album…pop fans who supposedly buy music? Say whaaaaaaaaaaat?
Neyo and Usher did this to themselves.
In their bid to be trendy and appeal to the 90s born suburbanites and swag-fags in Obey hats and tight jeans, they threw their core fans under the bus. The “So Sick” and “Sexy Love” appreciators hear that “Let Me Love You”, assume that all he’s about now and stay away from the album. Meanwhile the Katy Perry/Kesha crowd only tolerate his follow-the-leader dance crap but ultimately don’t give two shits and aren’t buying either.
This is what straddling the fence gets you. I’m always amused at how some artists think that if they put out an album that’s half this sound and half that sound, it’ll attract both sects of fans at the same time and all will be there for them. Ha! Nope, doesn’t work that way. What USUALLY happens is that they end up flopping harder than they did before because the people who like pop don’t wanna hear R&B and the people who like R&B don’t wanna hear pop…so everyone stays away from the album and it flops.
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flawda
January 29, 2013 at 1:19 pm
Name a R and B artist who is out right now making straight R and B music that’s actually selling? Exactly, there are none.
Don’t act like Neyo being a diverse and multi- talented or as you call it straddling the fence is the reason for the lack of sales.
I don’t believe people are segregated when it comes to listening to music nowadays. I believe most people listen to a little bit of everything, people aren’t as narrow minded as you think.
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BCinKS
January 29, 2013 at 3:01 pm
People might LISTEN to all kinds of music but they don’t BUY all kinds of music. There’s a difference. Personally, Neyo can make country for all I care. If it’s hot, it’s hot and I’ll support it. R.E.D. just wasn’t hot.
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mob: Breezy tell'em, It aint no fun when the rabbits got the gun
January 29, 2013 at 1:41 pm
A little diversity is not necessarily a bad thing!
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CocoButta
January 29, 2013 at 11:41 am
She was talking about sale pre-album though.
Sure DOES matter.
I actually like most of the album but she needs to go wax her head & stop with the BS chat.
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Kyle
January 29, 2013 at 12:20 pm
I’ve lost interest in Ne-Yo a little bit over the years but there really is no denying his talent. Even if his albums don’t sell, he’ll find a way to make money such as going on tour and writing songs for other artists. My favorite album of his is still his debut back in 2006. That was a good year for R&B music.
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Vegas Girl
January 29, 2013 at 12:56 pm
Not really believing that Neyo “sold our” any arenas for some reason. I know they’re saying he did but I think that’s some smoke and mirrors stuff. If folks aren’t buying your album (and haven’t been for a little while now), how exactly do you sell out an arena? Don’t tickets usually cost more than the price of a CD or download? Then again, I don’t believe anything that is said about these artists because its the labels, artists job to make them seem successful and sometimes trickery is used to do it.
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MUSICHEAD
January 29, 2013 at 1:26 pm
Actually his arena tour is sold out in the UK. He has a very large fan base over there who will show up for artists who make good music. They are not as concerned about record sales as we are in the US.
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flawda
January 29, 2013 at 1:13 pm
Neyo needs to stop trying to cater to R and B fans, they don’t even buy records. People screamed Beyonce should make more R and B and soulful music, so she did with 4 and what happen, lowest selling album of her career.
I don’t see why Neyo have to box himself in to just a R and B artist, do what you want to do.
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mob: Breezy tell'em, It aint no fun when the rabbits got the gun
January 29, 2013 at 1:38 pm
Neyo makes dance music too but R&B is his base!
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XoMoDe
January 29, 2013 at 8:48 pm
Um. In today’s climate, an album is considered a hit if it manages to sell a million copies domestically, and 4 did that. After 2008, every hit singer who put out an album and had been out for 10 years was bound to see the lowest sells of their career. That’s just the climate of the music world now. Beyonce could’ve put out an album of bandwagon pop music, scored a bunch of hits and it still probably wouldn’t have done much better than 4. Pop fans don’t buy albums, they buy singles. And I don’t think it’s worth sacrificing your artistic integrity to follow fads just to sell a lot of singles while the album they’re cut from still struggles.
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mob: Breezy tell'em, It aint no fun when the rabbits got the gun
January 29, 2013 at 1:37 pm
I really like ‘Cracks In Mr. Perfect’ tho! He always has a song or two I enjoy from each CD. He’s a good artists and a pretty good performer. He should do well on tour!
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theman
January 29, 2013 at 6:04 pm
He just needs to keep promoting his music.
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