Three-time GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Ne-Yo is back with a new single on the iconic Motown Records label. “Don’t Love Me” is his much-anticipated follow-up to his recent releases with Yung Bleu, the singles "Stay Down" and "Walk Through The Fire."
“Don’t Love Me” applies a classy touch to the old adage, “It’s not you, it’s me.” Ne-Yo realizes he has a good woman but feels guilty because he is clearly not ready to give her what she deserves in a relationship. In typical Ne-Yo style, he finds a respectful way to let his partner down while still delivering a clear and direct message when he sings, "You should walk away / It'd be selfish of me to ask you to stay / When I know that I can not love you the way you deserve."
Musically, Ne-Yo keeps it simple with a mid-tempo beat accompanied by an acoustic guitar riff that maintains the groove throughout. Sprinkle in some timely keyboard strokes and Ne-Yo’s trademark unmistakable voice, and we have a winner.
Released in tandem with a music video, the "Don't Love Me" visual is about a minute and a half longer than the song, opening with a glimpse into the backstory of the featured couple. Fans of P-Valley and Empire will recognize actor Tyler Lepley and singer/actress Serayah starring in the video.
It begins with Tyler cooking in the kitchen while talking to one of his side pieces. The untimely call ends right as his lady walks into the kitchen to join him. She's giddy about the meal her good man is making her and shares video and photos with all her fans on social media. This distraction results in him burning the rolls he had in the oven. His lady tries to go live on social media with him, but he is not feeling it and overreacts by lashing out on her.
The black-and-white cinematography gives the video a certain elegance. Ne-Yo appears on the scene with his patented tilted brim as he begins to sing the first verse. He hovers in the background while the couple is seen dressed to the nines for their dinner. During this intimate evening, we see glimpses of them having conflict. At some point during the evening, guilt overwhelms our leading man, and he finally delivers the message that she will be much better with someone who is ready to give her what she needs, which we hear via voiceover.
“Don’t Love Me” is more of the quality material we all have come to expect from Ne-Yo. This song clearly demonstrates he has not lost a step with respect to his songwriting skills, and the cinematic music video is well done and captures real life. This track will appear on Ne-Yo's forthcoming eighth studio album, which we're definitely looking forward to.
Press play below to hear Ne-Yo sweetly let his lady down on "Don't Love Me" and to watch the actors act in the visual.
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