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. "Miss Independent" is a Grammy Award winning song by American pop/R&B singer Ne-Yo. It is the second single from his album Year of the Gentleman and was produced by Stargate. It samples the song "Forget About Me" by Little Bit. The song was written by Ne-Yo and co-written by Stargate. It was released as a music download on August 26, 2008 and physical release in September 2008. The music video of "Miss Independent" was shot with director Chris Robinson on.