R&B music in 2006 was experiencing a golden era of sorts. Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke were giving a new look to blue-eyed soul, Ciara and Cassie were carrying on the legacy of Aaliyah, Janet Jackson and Monica were going back-to-back on top of the album chart and even LeToya from the original Destiny’s Child lineup had a chance to finally achieve solo fame. However, two major events occurred that year which we could all agree changed the game forever: Beyoncé dropping B’Day and the debut of singer/songwriter Ne-Yo.
That’s why it felt like two worlds colliding when “Irreplaceable” dropped as a single, which the “So Sick” singer wrote for Bey just two months after the release of his own debut album, In My Own Words. 10 weeks atop the Hot 100, “Video Of The Year” at the ’07 BET Awards and quite the catchy chorus — to the left! to the left! — it’s a collab that’s gone down in soul music history as a classic.
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Almost 20 years later, Ne-Yo joins us for “My First Time” to revisit that golden moment of meeting Beyoncé and working together to make magic in the studio. Given her resume at the time as the lead voice behind the multiplatinum hits of the aforementioned Destiny’s Child, in addition to a then-budding career in Hollywood and the obvious winning streak following her era-defining debut solo single, “Crazy In Love,” one could understand why Ne-Yo would assume he would be working with a certified diva. However, from her dressed-down demeanor to the way she spearheaded the session, he soon realized that he wasn’t dealing with your average soul singer.