Some songwriters say that their best songs come from lived experiences. This seems to be the case with singer/songwriter Ne-Yo and his new song “2 Million Secrets” which he debuted on his NPR performance.
His “Tiny Desk Concert” performance dropped on Friday, April 26, and within a day had already received close to half a million views. Dressed in all white and wearing his signature fedora, Ne-Yo sang for the small in-person crowd his song that he penned for Beyoncé, Rihanna, Mario and for himself.
He also debuted his new song, which seemingly required him to own his “s—t.”
“This next song, I am about to do for y’all it is a new song,” he announced. “This song took a little bit of growth on my part to even write. … Even more to sing.”
He said, “This song is basically about owning your s—t. That’s the best way I could put it.”
Ne-Yo, who in his own catalog has sold over 29 million albums, said that “nobody is above mistakes” and “nobody is above redemption.”
“This song is not a song,” referring to the title “2 Million Secrets.” “This song is a confession.”
The ballad opens with the 44-year-old asking the listener if they have ever gotten caught cheating by their partner in a way that is virtually impossible to deny. He further narrates a scenario where his lady finding his cellphone in his bag with “a couple of graphic videos” on it.
“She saw it all. She saw things she can’t unsee,” Ne-Yo warbles. “No way that I could deny that it was me. So now, I am drinking a little more frequent, smoking a little more lately. I kept 2 million secrets. She got every reason to hate me … ’cause I played with her heart.”
He continued, “Never held you to your duties as a wife, let you do what you want to cause I had a couple in the background down to give me what I couldn’t get from you.”
The song seems to encapsulate two significant headlines that have been plastered across the internet.
Recently, his ex-wife Crystal Renay Smith sat down with podcast host Osei The Dark Secret on “The Culture Club Uncensored” and talked about the dissolution of her relationship with the Grammy Award winner. They married in 2016 but during the exclusive sit-down last month, she revealed how she found out that Ne-Yo was cheating after renewing their vows in 2022.
“We renewed our vows and all that and then three months later is when I found out about everything. I was not in a situation where I knew things were going on and I continued to stay. No the day that I found out is the day that I left and the day that I filed for divorce.”
Congratulations to Ne-yo and Crystal on their vow renewal pic.twitter.com/qk25vCAkkp
— Glock Topickz (@Glock_Topickz) April 25, 2022
When asked how she found out, Smith replied, “Through a phone and a backpack. An extra phone … It didn’t take much digging.”
She said the phone told her everything she needed to know and had the same passcode as his other phone, which led her to file for divorce. She also claimed that they are in a good place where they can co-parent civilly. But due to being scarred by her marriage to Ne-Yo, she doesn’t know if she will ever wed again.
“Marriage scares the absolute s—t out of me right now,” Smith said, adding, “I felt like in my past marriage, I was living with a stranger because who I was in love with is not the person that he is now. And no shade, no disrespect, but that is the scary feeling, and so I don’t want to be blindsided ever again the way that I was in my past.”
The couple formally finalized their divorce through a detailed agreement, documented in court records from January 2023. For her $1.6 million settlement, Ne-Yo pledged $20,000 to cover Crystal’s relocation expenses, $150,000 toward her new vehicle, $12,000 a month in child support and $5,000 a month in alimony until 2026.
The almost $2 million almost fits with his song title, “2 Million Secrets.”
The two have three children from their union but Ne-Yo is a father of seven. He has two teenage children with his ex Monyetta Shaw-Carter years before he married Smith.
Part of the reason she filed for divorce was due to his infidelity, including having two children with his ex-mistress Sade Bagnerise while they were married.
Recently, Sade shared a video of her arguing with Ne-Yo in his bedroom. As she blasted the “Sexy Love” singer, she talked about him having their children around sex workers, him physically abusing her and drinking and smoking more (like the song reveals).
Sade Bagnerise, who shares two children with Ne-Yo, went live and accused the singer of wanting to have other women around instead of spending time with their children.
— Glock Topickz (@Glock_Topickz) April 25, 2024
She also accused him of body-slamming her, among other things.
(Via:@livebitez) https://t.co/GxYGXkOuyN pic.twitter.com/nwv7S4wkSy
“You body-slammed me on the floor. Tell them the real you and why we’re here today?” she said, after repeatedly calling him “Diddy Jr.”
“You f—king like to have hos, drugs and weed, alcohol, mushrooms, and prostitutes in the house while his kids are here,” she continued. “Everyone has asked him to stop, but he will not listen to nobody. This is what’s going on. This is the tea …”
Ne-Yo’s “Tiny Desk” has him trending on YouTube at No. 21. While the song was premiered during the episode, it is not on any of his profiles on his digital streaming platforms. There is no date set for its release.
