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Ne-Yo took inspiration from the UK & Michael Jackson for these two hits

21 May 2026, 09:58

Ne-Yo joined us on Capital XTRA Breakfast with Robert Bruce and Shayna Marie to talk all-things touring with Akon and his new album. But he let a few gems slip about how the UK has had a huge impact on his career, and how his idol, Michael Jackson, influenced ‘Because of You’. Here are all the details.

By Shanai Dunglinson

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RnB icon, Ne-Yo, joined Robert Bruce and Shayna Marie on Breakfast at Capital XTRA, stopping off on his ‘Nights Like This’ tour with Akon, to talk all things music, revealing that the UK is actually the reason one of his biggest songs came to be, as well as revealing which track of his sounds like Michael Jackson.

The ‘So Sick’ artist has been a cornerstone of the music industry since his debut back in 2006.

Teaming up with other icon, Akon on his current tour, the viral images have made everyone jealous, putting on a show of a lifetime with the best hits from both of their discographies.

Ne-Yo Blind Ranks His Hits & Reveals His Michael Jackson-Inspired Track 🎶

Playing our iconic ‘Blind Ranking’ game, a feature where the celebrity has to rank their songs from 1-5 without knowing which song is coming next, Ne-Yo revealed some behind-the-scenes gems about the making of his hits ‘Because of You’ and ‘Closer’.

Talking about the song ‘Because of You,’ the singer revealed his intentions and inspiration behind it.

He said: “Michael Jackson is a huge influence of mine and I just did my best to embody what Mike would have done to this song. And I feel like I might have hit the nail on the head… feel like if this was Mike’s song, it probably would have sounded the way it sounds.”

Ne-Yo performing at Michael Jackson tribute Concert & Michael Jackson. Picture: Getty Images

Watching the music video back, the influence becomes clear, but a more unexpected source of inspiration for the Grammy winner was the UK.

Ne-Yo said: “I didn’t believe in ‘Closer’ at first, I wrote it to sell it, because I didn’t think my fans, my audience wouldn’t understand it coming from me.”

Ne-Yo continued: “That song came from actually how much time we spent over here [UK], listening to house and electronic and things like that. When I finished it, I was like ‘yeah, we’ll be able to sell this to a UK artist really well’, and they were like ‘Sell it? Oh no, brother, this is yours.”

NE-Yo on 2026 tour. Picture: Getty Images

The ‘Miss Independent’ singer elaborated that it felt like a risk, with the song not taking off in the first three months of release, but it was Jay-Z and his manager who told him to hold on.

So, the more you know! Who knew that one of Ne-Yo’s biggest hits wouldn’t exist if not for the UK music scene’s influence?

You can watch the full interview here on Global Player.