The Joe and Jada Show: Ne-Yo on New Country-Inspired Album, Beyoncé Collabs & Iconic Stories

Episode Air Date: October 1, 2025
Podcast: The Herd with Colin Cowherd (Joe and Jada Show Segment)
Host: Joe Crack (Fat Joe), Jada Kiss
Guest: Ne-Yo

Episode Overview

This episode features a vibrant, candid conversation with Ne-Yo—multi-Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and producer—who breaks down his foray into a country-inspired album, his iconic work with Beyoncé, and personal stories involving legends Michael Jackson and Prince. The discussion delves deeply into music industry politics, creative process, song placement, A&R frustrations, and Ne-Yo’s unique family life. Joe and Jada keep the tone fun, energetic, and real, making for a compelling, behind-the-scenes exploration of Ne-Yo’s career and the business.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Ne-Yo’s “Country-Inspired” Album

(03:25, 05:00, 61:00)

• Ne-Yo resists calling it strictly a “country album”:

  "Country inspired. ...I feel like it's disrespectful for me to call it a country album. ...It's inspired by all the things that I love about country music." – Ne-Yo [03:31]

• Loves country music's storytelling/Clever lyrics:

  "I've always appreciated country music. ...It's storytelling. You gotta be clever with the lyric in country." – Ne-Yo [05:01]

• Blending with his own sound:

  "It's gonna have some country, but it's still gonna have some of that. ...It's everything I love about country music mixed with what I do." – Ne-Yo [61:04]

• Vegas residency, tour, and new song "Simple Things":

  “I think the tour is top of 2026. Me and Akon moving fire.” – Ne-Yo [71:26]

Collaborating with Beyoncé & Songwriting

(04:05–05:00, 35:00, 35:35)

• Writing “Irreplaceable” and creative process:

  "Beyoncé is 'Irreplaceable.' I'm still eating off that. ...I'm used to going in the studio and holding the artist's hand. Man, I never felt so useless in my life working with Beyoncé. She ain't need me for nothing... She knocked that song out in about an hour by herself." – Ne-Yo [04:22-04:42]
  "I kind of wrote it like a country song...no drums on it, just the guitar part." – Ne-Yo [05:00]

• The role of A&R (Tata) in song placement:

  “The Beyoncé record might not have happened if not for Tata. ...I didn't write that record originally for Beyoncé.” – Ne-Yo [35:00]

• Songs often land with different artists by chance:

  "It happens like that a lot, honestly. ...Give somebody first right of refusal...it'll go somewhere else." – Ne-Yo [38:00]

Meetings with Michael Jackson and Prince

Michael Jackson
(16:37–20:20)

• Surreal call and meeting MJ:

  "When I picked up the phone: 'Hey, what are you doing? This is Michael Jackson.' I hung up immediately." – Ne-Yo [16:40]
  "So we got back on the phone. ...He walked in with a black suit, aviator sunglasses he didn't take off. ...He said, 'Oh my God, you know what my favorite song of yours is?' ...He sang 'Go On Girl'. ...I turned into a twelve-year-old girl instantly. I kept it in though." – Ne-Yo [18:11–18:51]

Prince
(20:31–22:46)

• Prince’s validation after a career slump:

  “Prince saved my life and he don't realize it. ...Libra Scale...the album didn't do well at all. ...We got invited to Prince's Grammy party. ...He sees me, puts his guitar down, beelines through the crowd, straight to me. And he comes onto me, says: 'Libra Scale is a good album. Don't let nobody tell you different.' And walked on. ...From that moment, I was like...Prince said it's good, it's good. ...It restored my desire to do music.” – Ne-Yo [22:08–22:46]

Industry Realities: Labels, A&R, and Flops

(29:41–44:15)

• Labels quick to distance after a flop:

  "They there for all the celebration when things go well and when things go bad, it's your fault." – Ne-Yo [29:41] Joe recalls being hyped by executives, then abandoned:
  "The guy who insisted and gassed me...ran away from me like I had AIDS or HIV." – Joe Crack [30:49]

• Rant on A&Rs taking undue credit:

  "Who the fuck is the A&R guys, right? ...Every time a fucking artist comes out...some guy comes stand next to them and takes the credit with them at the Grammys...I never liked that shit." – Joe Crack [33:28]

• Learning how budgets get spent, artist disempowerment:

  "Every time them cats would fly us to New York and take us to Mr. Chow's and throw that credit card down...that was my budget." – Ne-Yo [37:32]

Picking Hits & Creative Process

(40:03–44:15)

• Ne-Yo relies on trusted ears, not his own, to pick singles:

  “I don’t have that. ...I be so close to the music that I can’t hear the one...every single I’ve had that went, Tango [manager] was like, it’s this one. ...I did not believe in 'Closer.' ...Jay Z and Tango were like, keep that shit.” – Ne-Yo [42:08–43:40]

• The manufactured hit:

  “I felt like I cheated the game. When I did, when I did something like, shit went number one, too." – Joe Crack [40:24]

Grammy Wins & Frustrations

(44:15–45:54)

• Pride and perspective:

  "Fifteen Grammy nominations. ...Three Grammy wins. ...But Stevie Wonder got double digits...I got more work to do.” – Ne-Yo [44:15–44:59]

• Debate on Grammy’s meaning and snubs:

  “I got mixed feelings about the Grammys…they get it wrong all the time. ...What song you had that you lost the Grammy that you knew for a fact you should have won?" – Joe Crack [45:00] "'Give Me Everything'...was the song of six summers, and because we didn't turn it in on time, we wasn't eligible." – Ne-Yo [45:42]

Generations, Streaming & New Media

(47:10–49:39)

• On appearing on Kai Cenat’s stream with a young audience:

  "I felt like the old nigga in the room. ...It was kids that literally did not know who I was." – Ne-Yo [47:33]
  "These young kids don't give a fuck about you on IG with your filter...they don't want the fake shit. ...They want up in front of them on a stream...They want to see if it's real." – Joe Crack [48:28]

Family Life & Polygamy

(54:50–60:11)

• Open about his four wives and approach:

  “Yes, indeed.” (on having four wives) – Ne-Yo [54:50]
  "There's a mindset the woman has to have in order to be able to share a man...If you got four women that want Birkin bags, you got the wrong four. ...It's community, it's family, it's like everybody doing something. ...If you're the only person taking care of everything, you're doing it wrong." – Ne-Yo [55:05]
  "After my divorce...I decided I don't ever want to be the reason nobody feel like they never can. ...From that moment, I was like, I'm going to just keep it a buck with everybody about everything.” – Ne-Yo [56:20]

• On people’s reactions and managing the family:

  “So what you got, like a giant bed?” – Joe Crack [58:35]
  “You can shoot you a number because, mind you, you can’t buy an Alaskan king. You gotta get it made.” – Ne-Yo [59:13]

Ne-Yo’s Favorite Songwriters

(62:19–63:47)

• Top Five Songwriters:
  1. Babyface
  2. Smokey Robinson
  3. Jonte Austin
  4. The-Dream
  5. Lionel Richie
• Lionel Richie’s respect as a songwriter:

  "Lionel Richie took Publisher of the Year two years in a row—not a publishing company, Lionel Richie by himself...He could write R&B, pop, country. Why would he not do it?" – Ne-Yo [63:12–63:34]

Notable Moments & Quotes

Prince’s Validation Restored Ne-Yo’s Passion

"Prince said, 'Libra Scale is a good album. Don’t let nobody tell you different.' ...From that moment I was like, you know what? I don’t give a damn what the critics say. ...Prince said it's good, it's good. I’m good." – Ne-Yo [22:08–22:46]

On Writing for Beyoncé

“I never felt so useless in my damn life working with Beyoncé. She ain’t need me for nothing. ...She knocked that song out in about an hour by herself.” – Ne-Yo [04:41–04:53]

On New Generations

“These young kids don’t give a f*** about you on IG with your filter...They don’t want the fake s***...They want up in front of them on a stream.” – Joe Crack [48:28]

True Grit of Hitmaking

"I had to train my ear, like I was a program director, to know what they would play on a Sunday in South Carolina...And I knew if it wasn’t a hit, I’m f***ed." – Joe Crack [41:20–42:08]

About His Polyamorous Household

“If you got four women that want Birkin bags, you got the wrong four...It’s community, it’s family, everybody doing something.” – Ne-Yo [55:05]
“A man can love more than one woman. Absolutely.” – Ne-Yo [57:10]

Musical Performance

Live performance of “Simple Things”
(69:20–70:43)

• Ne-Yo shares a heartfelt, country-inspired ballad, impressing Joe and the crew:

  "You have made me a country music fan, Ne-Yo." – Joe Crack [70:56]

Closing & Tour Announcements

• Country-inspired album drops soon; tour in early 2026 with Akon [71:18–71:32].
• Vegas residency announced [61:17–61:24].

Final Thoughts

This episode delivers a warm, unfiltered, and authentic look at Ne-Yo—from superstar collaborations and musical roots to battles with the music industry and candid reflections on love and family. Ne-Yo’s humility, the hosts' humor, and the wealth of musical insight provide a masterclass interview for music fans, creatives, and anyone fascinated by life at the top of the R&B and pop worlds.

TIMESTAMPS

• 03:25 – Ne-Yo on “country-inspired” album
• 04:22 – Writing “Irreplaceable” for Beyoncé
• 16:40 – Ne-Yo’s first call and meeting with Michael Jackson
• 22:08 – Prince’s validation during Ne-Yo’s career low
• 29:41–44:15 – Music industry realities, A&R talk
• 62:19 – Ne-Yo’s top five favorite songwriters
• 69:20 – Live performance of “Simple Things”