Ne-Yo Claims Today's Stars Can't Emulate Timelessness Of Motown Greats
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
Written by Elliott Batte
American R&B singer-songwriter Ne-Yo has claimed that the modern stars of today - such as eccentric pop superstar Lady Gaga - won’t ‘stand the test of time’, like those who formed part of the legendary Motown Recordings.
The 29 year-old Grammy award-winner, who recently became the A&R Vice President of Motown Recordings, has stated that although some of today’s megastars are incredibly talented, they don’t have the qualities to become a timeless musical icon - something he says the legends of Motown have in abundance.
Speaking to The Daily Star, Ne-Yo said: “Who was the last real icon to come out of the music industry? Everybody thought it was going to be Lady GaGa, but where is she right now, what's going on with her? Not to take anything away from her because she's ridiculously talented, but artists who stand the test of time - you just don't see those any more.”
He continued: “Motown wants to breathe fresh air into R&B, but Motown was not always cutting-edge, it was soulful but good pop music too. They were always at the top of the charts in the '60s, and today the lines are getting blurred again with R&B artists doing dance and pop acts doing R&B. I feel now it's just about good music again. Motown needs to stand for quality music, period.”
Ne-Yo did, however, go on to claim that 19 year-old pop sensation Conor Maynard could be as successful as soul singer Marvin Gaye - saying: “Conor is amazing. He has the talent, the potential of those guys like Marvin [Gaye] and The Temptations. His tone is insane. It's really, really rare that I come across a person that has a tone I wish I had, and he's a good kid mentally. That's too few and far between.”
Ne-Yo’s own new album ‘R.E.D’ is set to hit shelves on October 5 in the UK - keep an eye out for the record and any tour dates the star may announced in the near future.
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