How has becoming a father impacted your music and career?

Ne-Yo: Being a dad makes you prioritize, whether you want to or not. It’s like, okay, we’ve got shows in London. The shows are over and we got three days to do what we want. I’ll go home, and spend time with the kids because that’s important. Their personalities are developing right now, and I want to be there for that. It definitely helps you work harder, because rather than just enjoying the craft, this is what’s feeding them. The grind becomes a little stronger, and your party days become a little less. Also, you smile more. If ever I’m having a crappy day, I can get on my phone and find a video of my kids, and suddenly I forget what I was so bothered with in the first place.

What are your thoughts on R&B and the new Trap&B phenomenon?

Ne-Yo: I feel like Trap&B, as you put it, is another branch off of the R&B tree. You want a big tree that has plenty of branches, and is full of leaves, and that’s what we want R&B to be. I feel like the reason the genre was dying off for a minute is because people were afraid to expand, experiment, and evolve. Hip-hop back when it first started, and where it is now, are two completely different things. I will admit, though, the genre is a little misogynistic right now. There’s a lot of “do me” records, and not as many “make love” records. For every “Loyal,” there has to be a record celebrating the ones who are loyal.