In a small office on the 27th floor of Def Jam, Ne-Yo glances over Manhattan`s West Side. He`s wearing his trademark skullie hat, along with jeans and sneakers. A modest-sized diamond-studded cleft note hangs around his neck and slaps his chest as he plops into one of the armchairs. Cracking open a Kiwi Strawberry Snapple - his favorite - the jubilant Ne-Yo is ready to reflect on his recent career growth.

"I`m kind of important," Ne-Yo jokes, in a mock deep voice that emulates newsman Ron Burgundy, played to such spectacular ridiculousness in the movie 'Anchorman' by Will Ferrell. 'People know me.'

Ne-Yo might be laughing at himself, but his career - once derailed when he was dropped by a major label - is no joke these days. Most folks now know him as a recording star. His debut album, 'In My Own Words,' moved 301,000 copies in its first week last February and 1.4 million to date, and showcased his deft songwriting touch. He crafted his own heartbreak into the song "So Sick," which spent two weeks at No. 1 on The Billboard Hot 100. When his sophomore album, 'Know Me,' drops April 24, few are predicting a slump.

At least in some part, this is due to Ne-Yo`s impressive strength as a songwriter. What most in the industry have come to know, fans are just realizing: Ne-Yo is off to a prolific start as a go-to R&B hit writer. Two of his hits, Beyonce`s "Irreplaceable" and Mario`s "Let Me Love You," have spent a combined 19 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100. Now A-listers like Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, Chris Brown, Nicole Sherzinger and Whitney Houston are all clamoring for a Ne-Yo track. And he`s busy writing them.

Ironically, that might be his biggest problem.

"Artists like Usher are dying to work with him and in a way that`s like Ne-Yo competing with himself," says Jennifer Blakeman, senior VP of A&R at Zomba Music Publishing and Ne-Yo`s publisher. "So we have to help him figure out what songs to keep and which songs to give other people."

It`s a nice problem to have.

If Ne-Yo`s songs of love and loss connect with the ladies, it may be because he has so much experience. Born in Arkansas and raised in Las Vegas, Ne-Yo was brought up in a house full of women. His father left early on, so Ne-Yo was raised by his mother, aunts and grandmother. That estrogen-filled childhood still gives him inspiration for his hit songs.

Ne-Yo wrote "Irreplaceable" - his biggest hit so far - for Beyonce. The track exhibits some of Ne-Yo`s willingness to experiment, which may bode well for his ability to deliver hits across multiple radio formats: pop, R&B, AC and more. He envisioned "Irreplaceable" - with its prominent guitars - as a sort of Nashville joint with an R&B twist, assuming that no one would sing a Ne-Yo-penned, full-fledged country song. The result became the strong-woman anthem of the year, lasting nine weeks at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and 10 weeks on the Hot 100. It remains Beyonce`s biggest success on both charts.

His success is now breeding more success. The ubiquitousness of "Irreplaceable" peaked the interest of America`s sweetheart and AC giant Celine Dion.

"She said, 'I`m going to be the one person that doesn`t ask you for 'Irreplaceable,'" Ne-Yo says. "For someone like Celine, it`s about writing a song that`s timeless. It`s not about convincing people that you`re younger than you are."

Columbia senior VP of A&R John Doelp says Ne-Yo is up to the challenge.

"He`s a classic songwriter and what he writes will have a life beyond today," Doelp says. "With 'Irreplaceable,' he finds a way to write about a relationship ending but in a very different way. And he still puts together the pieces with incredible melodies."

Ne-Yo`s also writing for Whitney Houston, and once again looking to buck expectations.

"They played me about eight tracks that were all very 'I`m Whitney and I`ve been through some things and now I`m triumphant,'" Ne-Yo says. "But you can only do that for so long, so I said I`ll do the same thing for Whitney that I`m doing for Celine, which is to bring them to the everyday person."

And while working with all of these stars has been a great experience, Ne-Yo says, at least one recently shorn starlet might want to read the following as even more inspiration to get her personal life in order.

"We set up no less than four sessions for Britney to just come and listen to the songs I wrote for her," Ne-Yo says. "She never showed up. I think they want me to hold these songs that I`ve written until she finishes going through her thing. But a couple might be perfect for the Pussycat Dolls` Nicole Sherzinger, so . . ."

The idea of Ne-Yo even teasing about casting aside the former teen queen would have once seemed preposterous. Earlier this decade, Ne-Yo was dropped by Columbia Records - along with another (then) little-known singer named Alicia Keys. Instead of looking for another artist deal, Ne-Yo began writing songs for other R&B artists. Shopping his wares eventually got him a chance meeting with Tina Davis, then Def Jam senior VP of A&R, in 2004.

"After I heard his demo, I asked him to perform for me," says Davis, now manager of Chris Brown. "I immediately thought, 'This kid needs to be an artist.' I took him to L.A. Reid and told Ne-Yo, 'Baby, you`re a star.'"

Signed to Def Jam that day, Davis and Reid`s intuition proved true. Building on the success of his platinum recording career, Ne-Yo dropped two films in 2006, playing himself in 'Save the Last Dance 2' and the character Rich Brown in 'Stomp the Yard.' The latter film claimed the No. 1 spot its opening weekend and now Ne-Yo`s looking to hop onto the small screen.

"I was fortunate that my first role in 'Stomp the Yard' was so close to my own personality," Ne-Yo says. "But now I`d like to do something like 'The OC.' There are a few scripts that I`m looking at but it needs to fit with my music. I`d actually love for my next role to have no singing or dancing."

That`s probably just as well. The composer will have enough music swirling through his production company, Compound Entertainment. Ne-Yo founded the company in 2004 with his two managers, Reynell Hay and Tishaun Gayle, and boasts two in-house producers and several writers. Now a few different labels are courting him for an imprint distribution deal and Ne-Yo`s demands are simple.

"I just want creative control," Ne-Yo says, before he dons a nebbish cartoon voice and starts joking again. "Which shouldn`t be a problem because I`ve proven myself to able to write good songs if given the opportunity."

Now Ne-Yo is about to see if he still has the right touch on his own tracks, with the release of 'Know Me.' His first single, "Because of You," already checks in at No. 26 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It`s an ode to Michael Jackson, one of Ne-Yo`s favorite singers. The layered vocals on the bridge are reminiscent of the hooks littered throughout Jackson`s 'Off the Wall' album.

Ne-Yo insists 'Know Me' is a mirror into his entire personality rather than just his pen skills.

"The first album was the sweet, sincere and heartbroken Ne-Yo," Zomba`s Blakeman says. "This new one is more 'Watch out, mama, here I come.'"

Another memorable moment - both for Ne-Yo, as well as on the album - comes in the form of a Jennifer Hudson duet. Usually he writes his hits alone in a studio, but for "Leaving," the Academy Award winner showed up with a few girlfriends, memorized the lyrics in 15 minutes - and proceeded to sing Ne-Yo under the table.

"To be an artist is to crave acceptance, so it`s difficult to tell people things sometimes," Ne-Yo says. "You almost have to take a back seat to the artist, especially if they`ve had a little bit of success. But by the grace of God, Jennifer Hudson is still normal. When I asked her to bring out a note, or change something, it was done. She out-sung me on my own song. It`s Jennifer Hudson featuring Ne-Yo."

In terms of spreading the word on the new album, Ne-Yo will perform March 29 at Atlanta`s Tabernacle venue for the "Cingular Sounds" wireless campaign. The show will air on Cingular phones, two weeks before 'Know Me' drops. "Because of You" is the commercial theme song for Ice Cube`s upcoming film, 'Are We Done Yet?,' also hitting screens in April. Ne-Yo`s also filming a series of webisodes, which follow him on tour and will air via his Web site.

Taken from M&C