- NE-YO sat down with Carl and Cassidy at KFM 94.5 on 16 October 2026, ahead of his Cape Town performance and birthday
- The R&B hitmaker opened up about how he earned his name, his songwriting process, and writing Beyoncé's Irreplaceable
- NE-YO teased that he has something in the works with South African artists Black Coffee and DJ Maphorisa
Source: Getty Images
R&B legend NE-YO swung by the KFM 94.5 studio for a celebratory sit-down with hosts Carl and Cassidy on 16 October 2026, days before his birthday on Sunday. The interview quickly became one of the station's most talked-about moments, with fans flooding the comments to share their love for the Grammy-winning singer and songwriter.
The hosts rolled out a full champagne wall for the occasion, setting the festive tone. Carl also dug up a clip from a 2010 KFM interview, much to Cassidy's horror, in which she had sung a cheeky, edited version of NE-YO's So Sick to him. NE-YO laughed, keeping the energy light throughout:
"I will be the first to tell you, I have no idea what a hit is."
How NE-YO got his name
One of the interview's richest moments came when NE-YO explained the origin of his name. Early in his career, with very little money to spend on studio time, he trained himself to write fast. "If you gave me 30 minutes in the studio, I could give you 12 to 13 songs," he said. His mentor, Dion Evans, was the first to compare him to the character Neo from The Matrix, someone who could do things within music that regular people simply couldn't. He also noted that in Sesotho culture, "Neo" derives from the word meaning gift. He said:
"The universe makes no mistakes."
Watch the Facebook reel below:
Beyoncé, Rihanna, and a potential SA collab
NE-YO revealed that Irreplaceable was originally written with himself in mind, but he and production duo Stargate quickly realised the song needed a woman's voice. He said:
"Once we got it to the right woman, Beyoncé's song became what it was supposed to be.”
He also recalled that his barefoot moment in the Because of You music video was entirely unplanned: his shoes were a couple of sizes too big, one fell off mid-dance, and the crew simply kept rolling.
The biggest tease of the interview, however, was his hint at a South African collaboration. When the hosts mentioned his song I'm a Piano, NE-YO let slip that he has "some things in the works" with people in the local music scene, specifically naming Black Coffee and DJ Maphorisa. He said:
"Watch the space.”
Fans in the comments were delighted by the full interview. Lluwellyn Finch wrote:
"He is one of the best on planet earth at putting music together. Much love NE-YO. Great interview, Carl."
Jonathan Boltney added:
"Carl, you have nailed it, my brother; the best interview by far."
Lauren Lallie Jacobs kept it simple:
"He is so dam lekker."
Ne-Yo got celebrated by Mzansi on his birthday
Ne-Yo marked his birthday in spectacular fashion during a live concert in South Africa, leading the crowd in a sing-along.
SA rapper Moozlie hosted the event and lit up social media with a post wishing the R&B star a happy birthday.
Source: Briefly News
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