Ne-Yo is African American and Chinese American. While a teenager, Ne-Yo wrote lyrics for other artists, such as Youngstown and Mario, for whom he wrote "Let Me Love You". The song became "one of the most-played songs on urban radio stations across the U.S." Ne-Yo has released four studio albums: In My Own Words (2006), Because of You (2007), Year of the Gentleman (2008), and Libra Scale (2010). His debut album, In My Own Words, was released in early 2006 through Def Jam Recordings, and debuted at number one on Billboard 200. More than 301,000 copies were sold in the first week, and the album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America after more than two million copies were sold in the United States and four million worldwide. His second album, Because of You, w