While 2010 brought much joy for R&B star Ne-Yo (namely the birth of his daughter), the year alo carried with it commercial disappointment. Indeed, after countless delays and non-charting singles, the 31 year old’s ‘Libra Scale’ LP went on to become the worst-selling of his otherwise successful career.
Reflecting on the sales in a recent interview with the BBC, the singer-songwriter admitted that the album was not his best, why he felt it tanked, and what his immediate plans are following the project.
Full story after the jump…
Via Singers Room:
“It’s just there was so much going on in regards to this album,” says Ne-Yo. “Writing the script, making sure it was good, shooting videos and being too hands on with the director, the artwork and everything.
Released in November, Ne-Yo admitted the album is his “poorest selling album to date.”
“I just wasn’t paying attention to certain elements in making an album that I normally would. My fans deserve my best.”
With that said, Ne-Yo has already started working on material for his forthcoming fifth album.
“I’m already working on my next album. I took two years off in between Year Of The Gentlemen and Libra Scale. I’m just going to get back to the basics and do what I do. My fifth album needs to be about the songs, I don’t have a theme as such yet, it will be what life is, the black white and grey – what it is to be alive – that’s what this album is going to represent.”
You have to hand it to Shaffer. Where countless other acts would have seized the opportunity to blame the label or industry politics, Ne-Yo kept it real. ‘Libra Scale’ simply did not deliver (save for a few songs – ‘Cause I Said So’, ‘One In A Million’); a fact the countless promo slots vs the album’s actual sales really highlights. Still, every artist that album which just wasn’t the business. Here’s hoping Ne-Yo rediscovers his mojo next go round.
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Neyo we here for you bro!…next time imma cop that album
Keeping it real?
Nah, if this album had done well he would be humming a different tune.
I agree with timmi…..if u didnt waste ur time talking about chris brown and usher and how gay u are in every freakin interview and u actually promoted ur album n singles maybe ur ishh wud have sold better…..
And the album was boring nothing compared to his previous this theme/story ishhh wasnt really working, good he realised that….
Great Guy. Great Artist. A true gem in today’s industry.
Some people should stick to songwriting.. Keri Hilson, Neyo and Dream being the primary suspects. Stop being greedy and give artists with actual vocal talent to emerge.
And no Neyo is far from a great vocalist.. lets keep it real
MAYBE HIM AND GRANDMA KIM CAN GET TOGETHER AND SAVE EACHOTHER’S CAREERS..THEN MAYBE SHE CAN STOP TRYNA USE NIKKI’S NAME TO PROMOTE HER NEW FLOP ALBUM
awwwwww… Miss THANG!! you stay talkin s*** about Chris brown, Usher and everybody else’s project and circumstances when you should have been focused on your own… every time you point a finger at someone else, you have 3 more polished fingernails pointing back at yourself… get a scalp implant and a lip gloss reduction and maybe we will buy your b******* next go-round girl…
BOY. The album was TRASH. I am a HUGE fan but u need to not forget your R&B roots.
I stil love him, so WHATEVA
I love “One in a Million” but I really miss the “Because of You”‘s Ne-Yo though.
@mindset212 “And no Neyo is far from a great vocalist.. lets keep it real”
Are you tone deaf or something? ‘Cause clearly…
i liked hes album acutally it wasnt an amazing or ground breaking album but it was good looking foword to hes next one
Ne~Yo is so talented, and works so hard, and is just so positive.
My 12 year old daughter loves everything he does, so to her, this album was amazing.
I think Libra Scale was not typical of Ne-Yo, but it was written well, and so different from what’s out today from other artists.
It’s a whole story, and if people would accept creative change from artists, they would sell more albums. People just love repetition.
Libra Scale to me was s breath of fresh air!
Ne-Yo is a perfectionist probably, so he took it to heart when it didn’t sell well, that it was him, but it really is the fans always expecting the same thing.
Just my opinion!
-Happy Holidays
It’s about DAMN time he said something logical about this album!!!!!!!
And I agree with Timmi, if this album had sold more than *HE* projected or thought, he would NOT be saying this!
Nevertheless, I LIKED Neyo because I used to think that he was different and never tried to replicate the current formula and tricks that propel artists to get a number one single or album – BUT I GUESS I WAS WRONG! Still, I’m looking forward to his next album because this one REALLY DISAPPOINTED ME!
The album was an all R&B Carl , did you realy heard the album , or are you way to far in beyonce’s ass to hear that ?
Album was great, i feel insulted that he’s saying we don’t deserve it !
GREAT body of work !
Lol Ne-Yo im glad u noticed that album was full of Trash. I know u can make better music than that. Don’t let it happen again.
Yeah, I’m a Neyo fan, but this one was kinda boring too. He was concentrating too much on making this like an MJ album with the themes and videos, it just kinda felt like he wasn’t being himself. Year of the Gentleman was good though. I’ll buy the next one.
Oh really? What happened to “I worked SO hard on this so you HAVE to love it?”
Maybe he needs to stop trying to be something he`s not!
none of his singles strike me so i didnt bother to give the album a listen
this is good to hear bc honestly I loved all of his singles hes released prior to this album
Is this becoming a new trend… artists admitting that they made mistakes just months after making them? First Keyshia, now him, I’m sure there have been others, too. I’m getting tired of it.
How about they just start making good decisions in the first place. This year has been absolutely full of misguided R&B singers, and it wouldn’t have taken a genius to figure out that the decisions they were making would not lead to successful albums or even singles. Ne-Yo: I know you love Michael Jackson, but nobody’s really checking for your music videos like that, so just focus on the music. And stop flirting with the Euro-pop ish like everyone else.
Keyshia: Don’t release a flat single with Nicki Minaj on it just because it has NIcki Minaj on it, because you and I both know that song has nothing else to offer your fans. And on top of that, people don’t want to hear songs about you bragging about your swagger and perseverance. We don’t need a “Diva, Part II.” Your fans want to hear you sing about real emotions–universal emotions that come from the soul–not about how you’re shining like your bag, shoes, etc. And don’t release an album with barely any promotion and think that your fans won’t notice that you’re pulling a Mary J. Blige and releasing a sub-par, rushed effort just so people will snatch it up as gifts for the holiday season. That’s what you did with A Different Me, too, if I recall correctly.
And to all artists: Stop rushing albums just to get them released in time for the holiday season. The first week numbers might be better, but word of mouth and people will realize that your album is lacking. It will have no longevity. It doesn’t matter when you release an album. If it’s really quality music, you should be confident that it can survive in any season, and if you’re lucky, its success might even be so vast that it will carry on into the holiday season.
PLEASE,trent&sam could u be a Dear,and post from R****.com about CHRIS BROWN
http://www.r*****.com/2010/12/24/chris-brown-bears-his-passion-for-art/
-Thank u
@J Cole: I’m pretty sure they already posted that, and if they didn’t–good riddance! Chris Brown looks like a chinchilla, has no remarkable talent beyond being a dancer (which doesn’t explain why he continues to pursue singing), and is a despicable human being. To top it all off, I already say the video, and coming from someone who is a sophomore at an art school, I can tell you that Chris has no artistic talent and that his taste in art is terrible and amazingly shallow. If the only artist he admires is Banksy, he obviously has not done much research about the field.
And the cherry on top is the fact that his enunciation is God-awful and his speech is anything but eloquent. I don’t understand how anyone can understand him or listen to him speak for more than 30 seconds.
NeYo’s album was better than most “R&B” stars. At least he has CLASS not to blame the label. I applaud you.
Chris Brown has the moves of MJ, but NeYo has the artistic creativity of MJ.
@Nate
X-mas is almost here why so mean…its ashame how u have to downgrade someone to make ur self feel better chris taste in art is just fine to me.and i think i was posting to the owners of this site not u so….KEEP IT MOVIN
-HAVE A BLESS DAY
I honestly think the album sounds like something MJ would want to do. And what people call boring is often what real r&b is supposed to sound like; sometime it’s mellow and sometimes it’s upbeat. What hurt Ne-Yo imo is that he led the project with 2 pop singles when more than half the Libra Scale album is r&b.
MY GIRL TEA TEA MIXTAPE IS OUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TEIRRA MARI
the nightbeforextimas -> http://www.livemixtapes.com/mixtapes/12859/teairra_mari_the_night_before_xmas.html
THANK GOD HE REALIZES. MORE ARTIST SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
@MINDSET
But Neyo actually does have actual vocal talent. He is better than half of these other males out at the moment.
@ANTHONY THE GREAT
I actually agree. Ne-Yo’s vocals are better than a lot of the males out at the moment. But, the thing is, basically ALL are below par in this generation and I don’t know why. We need an R. Kelly, and if we take it even further back there’s NOBODY in the same league as the likes of Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, etc.
It’s a shame.
I agree…I love Ne-Yo’s first 3 records but this record was boring. He focused too much on the videos and didn’t devote enough time to where it matters – promo and the music.
I sure do hope his next record does well; the man has talent.
Beyonce hasn’t had “that album” yet…
Anyways, I was just going to say that I haven’t even heard Libra Scale, but after hearing “Beautiful Monster” and “Champagne Life”, I seriously threw my hands up in the air sometimes saying Ne-Yo, aww HELL NO.
Genuine only is amazing. So is Beautiful monster and One in a million. This Album is good! It’s just a bit different from the others.
He can write, he can sing, he’s the REAL deal unlike so many others who just fake it..
THAT ALBUM WAS TRASH!!!!! AND THIS IS COMING FROM A NEYO FAN SINCE DAY 1!!!! HIS FIRST 2 ALBUMS WERE THE BEST! YEAR OF THE GENTLEMAN WAS OK, BUT LIBRA SCALE IS TRASH AND IM GLAD HE KNOW IT
I AM NOT A BIG FAN OF NE-YO, BUT I THOUGHT LIBRA SCALE WAS QUITE GOOD!
I’M TIRED OF EVERYBODY TEARING DOWN R&B ARTISTS BECAUSE THEY DON’T SELL 1 MILLION COPIES IN THE FIRST WEEK! DOENS’T MEAN IT WAS NOT A GOOD CD.
Well, I appreciate the fact that he can admit that he didn’t think it was his best work. Not many artist would do that! Although, like someone else said, if his album had done better, I am sure he wouldn’t be saying now that it wasn’t his best work. *shrugs* Like someone else said earlier, none of his singles caught my attention so I didn’t give the whole album a listen so I can’t judge it, but clearly not to many people were checking for it cause it flopped so bad.
He is obvioulsy great at songwriting and a decent singer and performer. He has made countless hits for himself as well as others, so there is no doubt he is good as what he does, making music. But just because you are talented and good at what you do doesn’t mean you are guranteed success with every project. Ne Yo isn’t the type of artist that can drop and album on his name alone, he needs hits and he just didn’t have any this time around. ‘Beautiful Monster’ was a flop, ‘Champaign Life’ came and quickly went and by the time ‘One In a Million’ came out it was just too late. There was virtually no buzz for his album.He had a handful of performances but I can’t even think of any at the top of my head so clearly they weren’t very memorable. If artist like Nelly and Ke$ha can flop with a top ten hit, then you can bet that you will flop with no top ten hit! He certainly wasn’ t the only flop this time year so he shouldn’t feel to bad! Lol! He has a lot of company! 2010 was definitely the year of the ‘flop’.
I think it’s great that he has decided not to dwell on the failure of this album and has decided to move on to a new project, however I just hope he doesn’t rush it and tries to hurry up and release another album next year and give us a bunch of mediocre material. He just had a kid, he should take some time off and just be a family man for a while.
Maybe his new role as Dad will help get his creative juices flowing and he can make music that his audience can relate to and appreciate.
Good Luck Ne Yo!
hahahaha rihanna slayed his career!! hhahaahha nuff said
@NATE: Wow! I am honestly sitting here SMH and LOL at your comment all at the same time! It never ceases to amaze me the amount of hate (cause that’s exactly what you are a typical HATER) that people can have for someone they don’t even know! You saying he looks like a ‘chinchilla’ totally gave you away! Only a hater would say something so childish and obviously untrue! What does his looks have to do with his love of art??
The fact that you had the AUDACITY to call Chris Brown ‘despicable’ when your comment was probably one of the most childish, ignorant not to mention despicable comments I have read on this site….this week anyways.
For someone who obviously isn’t a CB fan, you sure did take a lot of time out of your miserable life to comment on him! You even admitted to seeing a video of him professing his love of art! Why are you so focused on someone you find ‘despicable’? Apparenlty you must be able to tolerate his ‘God awful’ speech cause you took the time to watch the video of him and it was much longer than 30 seconds! I bet you also watch his videos on Youtube as well, don’t you? Don’t bother answering me, I know you do!
If you are indeed an ‘art major’ as you say you are (side eye) then I would hope that you wouldn’t be so narrow minded and turn up your nose at someone’s love of art!
Who are you to say that his taste in art is ‘terrible’ and ‘shallow’? Are you a prefessor? Do you have a degree?? Are you an accomplished artist yourself?? Why do you believe that your taste is above everyone else??
Chris has actually said that he is a big fan of Ron English (who was at the exhibit with him this past week and took pics of Chris posing in front of the art) Ron English even said that he found Chris to be a very humble young man and he looks forward to working with him on a future project. Ron English, is a well respected and accomplished contemporary artist (unlike yourself) if he can see the artistic talent in CB then who the hell are you to say other wise!
You say you are a sophmore so hopefully by the time you graduate will have become less shallow, ignorant and narrow minded and learn to appreciate others interpretation of art even if they don’t conicide with yours!
FYI: IF CB’s only talent was dancing, he wouldn’t have 8 Grammy nods, including three this year for his MUSiC including two noms for Best Vocal Performance! They don’t give Grammy’s nominations for dancing boo! He is already an accomplished singer, song writer, dancer and actor! Check his credits boo! He is no longer pursuing ‘singing’ he has made it his career and is very successful at it!!
Clearly the word despicable describes YOU best! Get over yourself and while you are at it find some time to grow up!!
lol there can only be one MJ so Ne-yo dont do this again. The only one with a little MJpotentital right now that i see is Bruno Mars (singing-wise) but he cant dance, so really NEYO don[‘t try this BS again
@ I hate Hypocrites ! CHRIS BROWN BEAT RIHANNA THERE FOR HE IS FOREVER F-LISETED TO WORK WITH THE LIKES OF FLOP CIARA & SKERY HILSON LOL
CHRIS BROWN BITCHY ASS WILL NEVVVVER WORK WITH THE LIKES OF BEYONCE QUEEN MADONNA LEAGANDY BRITNEY SPEARS MICHEAL I MEANT JANET JASKSON LOL EVEN THAT FAT SLOB MARIAH WON’T WORK WITH CHRIS BROWN HE IS A FLOP BOTTOM LINE PLUS THERE AFRAID TO BE IN STUDIO ALONE WIT HIM 😉
Sounds like what Ciara did!!!!
Flop album… then goes back to her ‘basic instinct’ …
What do you want most for Christmas this year ?
Nothing can be better than finding the special one at this special time
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Come to get rid of your lonely si ngle life!! You need someone to bring you warmness in this coldest winter!!
@Mindset and Timmi…, couldn’t agree more. Ne-Yo DOES have a singing voice but it’s a generic and unremarkable rnb one. I can see why people think he’s a great singer though…, as in a land filled with Taio Cruz, Trey Songz etc. Ne-Yo comes over like Donnie Hathaway lol. With the exception of John Legend though the same goes for every other male vocalist of this era. Like someone else said, I think it’s because now we have a lot of songwriters i.e. Keri Hilson, The Dream, Akon (I’d include Ne-Yo) etc. out as recording artists…, instead of writing for vocalists with exceptional talent and remaining behind the scenes like it was in the 90’s.
I’m listening to Libra Scale right now and I’m very disappointed in this album. He should have focused on the album more than those crappy music vids. I have all of his albums and this was his worst; Year of the Gentleman was his best hands down. Hopefully he will put more into his next album. I expected more from Ne-Yo.
NE-YO IS GONNA KILL 2011. F#CK THE HATERS!
That said, let me not give off the impression of a troll. I was sorely disappointed when I found out that Ne-Yo’s album was only 10 tracks… especially considering he leaked ten or more times as many songs this year! If you were in a store, and you were hyped for an album, you’d expect it to be at least 12 tracks. I feel like I’m getting taken for a ride when I see any less… so I didn’t buy, admittedly. Nothing at all against Ne-Yo. Just, I got principles.
I hope he’s truly hungry to get a #1 hit whenever he decides to drop again… and, if he wants to come from a new angle, please don’t let it be Lady Gaga “monster music” again. I like the idea of singing about life, but I don’t know what that entails. More songs like “What Love Is”? Surprise me, Ne-Yo!
Have not heard the album as of yet , but i don’t think it should be released. because clearly MJ was not finish recording all that he wanted and anything to be released during his lifetime he wanted his approval to be on it. People should recognize his perfectionist personality and should not have released an album
^ This dude must be high… this post isn’t about Michael Jackson.
I think people need to be fair and stop comparing any of today’s artist to the GREAT MICHAEL JACKSON. Michael was great since age 8 and the world knew it. NONE OF TODAY’S ARTIST MALE NOR FEMALE COMPARES. I got mad love for CB, Usher and Neyo but none aren’t nearly the artist that MJ was when he was 8 not to mention what he became so the foolish comparisons need to stop!!!! Unfortunately Neyo’s CDs have been on a decline ever since his first one which clearly says he needs to try something different like do more co-writing or take a break.
It sucked, he admitted it. Move on.