Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actor and occasional rapper. He is an Afro-Asian; he is mixed from his African American father and a mother of African American and Chinese American descent.Ne-Yo's debut album, In My Own Words, was released in early 2006 through Def Jam Recordings, and debuted at number one on Billboard 200, selling over 301,000 copies in the first week and certified platinum, selling nearly 2 million copies in the US and 4 million worldwide. During the same week, Ne-Yo's Stargate-produced second single "So Sick" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Closer" is a 2008 Single by American pop/R&B singer Ne-Yo. The song was produced by Stargate.
The song was released as the first single from his third album Year of the Gentleman. It reached #1 in the UK, scoring Ne-Yo his second UK No.1 following 2006's So Sick. "Closer" became the fifteenth biggest selling single in the UK in 2008 according to BBC Radio 1's chart of the year.
The song and its music video were used in a commercial for Overstock.com in.