Ne-Yo

Ne-Yo in 2014, photo by Prphotos

Birth Name: Shaffer Chimere Smith

Place of Birth: Camden, Arkansas, U.S.

Date of Birth: October 18, 1979

Ethnicity: African-American

Ne-Yo is an American R&B singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He is also known as Gogo.

Ne-Yo is the son of Loraine and Wiley L. Smith, who were musicians. His parents are both black. He was raised partly in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is married to Crystal Renay Williams. Ne-Yo has seven children, including two with his former partner Monyetta Shaw; and three with Crystal.

A 23andMe DNA test whose results Ne-Yo displayed on his Twitter page stated that his genetic ancestry is:

*88.4% Sub-Saharan African
——–*87.3% West African
——–*0.8% Broadly Sub-Saharan African
——–*0.3% African Hunter-Gatherer
*10.1% European
——–*4.0% Broadly Northwestern European
——–*3.7% British & Irish
——–*1.2% French & German
——–*1.1% Broadly European
——–*0.1% Iberian
——–*0.1% Scandinavian
——–*0.1% Broadly Southern European
*0.4% East Asian & Native American
——–*0.4% Southeast Asian

Ne-Yo has sometimes stated that he has some degree of Chinese ancestry on his father’s side. Given his DNA test results, it is unlikely that he has any Chinese ancestry in at least the last 200 years.

Ne-Yo’s maternal grandfather’s surname is Parham. Ne-Yo’s grandfather’s brother, Bobby Parham, is a member of the band The Dramatic Force.

Ne-Yo’s maternal grandmother was named Rosie M.

Ne-Yo in 2008, photo by Adam J. Sablich / Shutterstock.com