Ne-Yo and Keyshia Cole‘s working relationship had an awkward start.
The In My Own Words crooner reflected on their first studio session during his appearance on the We Sound Crazy podcast after being asked if there was ever a session where he and the artist he was working with couldn’t “figure out” that cohesive synergy.
Around the 26:30 mark, Ne-Yo explained, “I remember the first time I tried to write for Keyshia Cole and just couldn’t figure it out, couldn’t get it right for whatever reason,” he began. “Now mind you, I don’t know if something had happened before she got there, but she kinda came in the studio on 10 a little bit, which had already rubbed me the wrong way because I was like, ‘Damn, I don’t even know you. What you mad at me for?’”
Of Cole’s attitude, he quipped, “It seemed like she was upset at something.” She was introduced to him as a singer-songwriter, so he waited for her input before completing the drafted song. “[I was] being respectful of the fact that she writes too,” he continued.
“She walked in kind of on 10. She sits down, huffing and puffing. About 20, 30 minutes go by, she finally turns to me and goes, ‘What you got?’” Ne-Yo said, mimicking a frustrated Cole. “So I sing her what I got, she goes, ‘Yeah that’s cool hold on.’ She gets up and she leaves, and she doesn’t come back. I’m like, ‘Okay, I guess that’s the session guys.’”
Ne-Yo — who’s known for penning hits like Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable,” Chrisette Michele’s “Epiphany,” and Jennifer Hudson’s “Spotlight”— noted that there’s no bad blood between himself and the “Love” songstress. They even went on to collaborate on DJ Khaled’s “Legendary” in 2011.
However, that initial interaction “was what it was.”
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