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, record producer, actor, and dancer.

He is the son of Loraine and Wiley L. Smith. His parents are both black.

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 is married to Crystal Renay Williams. He has two children with his former partner Monyetta Shaw; and three children with Crystal.

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