It’s pretty difficult to argue with a guy who’s amassed several Grammys, penned countless chart-topping hits for today’s hottest artists and currently holds the title of Senior Vice President of A&R at Motown Records. Ne-Yo knows his stuff.
In a recent interview with the Daily Star, the famed singer/songwriter once again spoke out about his frustrations with the current state of the music industry. And he’s not afraid to name names.
“Who was the last real icon to come out of the music industry? Everybody thought it was going to be Lady Gaga, but where is she right now, what’s going on with her?” he asked. “Not taking anything away from her because she’s ridiculously talented, but artists who stand the test of time– you just don’t see those anymore.”
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Ne-Yo’s position at Motown, which he took over at the top of the year, includes producing and mentoring artists as well as signing and developing new talent.
“Motown wants to breathe fresh air into R&B, but Motown was not always cutting edge, it was soulful but good pop music too,” he continued. “They were always at the top of the charts in the ’60s, and today the lines are getting blurred again with R&B artists doing dance and pop acts doing R&B.”
“I feel now it’s just about good music again. Motown needs to stand for quality music, period.”
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In early August, Ne-Yo ruffled some feathers while visiting Power 105.1′s “The Breakfast Club” when he said he felt uninspired by R&B, namely Trey Songz.
“Trey is one of them dudes I feel like could be a serious problem in this R&B world, if he decided to just really put that emotion in there,” he said. “No disrespect to Trey, love Trey to death. But I feel like, again, the emotional disconnect is there.”
He later apologized to Songz via Twitter, but it’s clear Ne-Yo’s concerns still remain.
