Ne-Yo's mother is his biggest influence.
The singer took a temporary backseat from music but is now back with album Non-Fiction.
Musically, the star names Michael Jackson, Sammy Davis Jr. and Marvin Gaye among the people who inspire him. But his biggest role model is a little closer to home.
"My mum was and still is the biggest influence on me, she's my absolute hero," he gushed to British newspaper Metro.
"As far as I'm concerned, she's the strongest person on the planet. She's really been through the wringer, from not being appreciated to guys who weren't there for her. She's been through a lot and came out the other side."
The 32-year-old star doesn't just create songs for himself - he has also written for the likes of Rihanna and Leona Lewis. Some of the tracks have been hugely successful, but he never wishes he'd kept them for himself.
"If a song I've written has gone to somebody else and wound up being a hit, that's clearly what was supposed to happen. I don't dwell on it and think: 'What would have happened if I kept it?'" he revealed.
"There's no way of knowing if things would have gone the same way. I look at it like: 'I'm proud of my creations and something of mine did good.'"
Non-Fiction was released last month and is Ne-Yo's first album since 2012's R.E.D. He hopes the record will tell a story, something he thinks has become lost in the "microwave age", where people want things to happen instantly.
