As an artist, producer and songwriter, singer Ne-Yo [ tickets ] was nominated for five Grammys in 2008, winning the Best Contemporary R&B; Album prize for his 2007 release, "Because of You." But the artist who co-produced Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" doesn't have a specific project of which he is most proud. He's grinning from ear to ear about his entire career.

"I'm just proud that I get to do what I love and be able to support myself doing it," Ne-Yo said during an interview with LiveDaily. "There's not a lot of people on the face of this planet who can say they love their job and be genuine and true with that. I can say that and it's the truest statement in the world. I really and truly love my job and I get paid well to do it. It's a beautiful thing."

In addition to his Contemporary R&B; Album award, Ne-Yo [ tickets ] earned four other Grammy nominations this year, including two for his collaboration with Rihanna, "Hate That I Love You" (which he co-wrote), as well as Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance for his No. 2 hit "Because Of You" and Record of the Year for "Irreplaceable."

Ne-Yo is now touring with Alicia Keys [ tickets ] to promote his third album, "Year of the Gentleman," which will arrive in stores Aug. 5. So far, the only track he is playing live from "Year of the Gentleman" is "Closer," which was produced by Stargate.

The forthcoming album is the follow-up to "Because of You" and 2006's "In My Own Words," both of which debuted at No.1 on The Billboard 200 and R&B;/Hip-Hop Album charts.

Ne-Yo spoke to LiveDaily about his tour with Keys and 2007 "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks, writing songs on assignment, and what it means to be a "gentleman" in 2008.

LiveDaily: How's the tour going so far?

Ne-Yo: It's going pretty good. We're finally catching our stride. That's what it's called. The first few shows are always the worst. You're working out the bugs and everything. After awhile, you just fall in to a groove; that's where we are right now. The crowd's been really receptive. Everybody's gettin' on point. Nobody's forgetting any steps or any chord changes or anything, so we're good.

Are you playing a lot of "Year of the Gentleman"?

As of right now, the only new song that I do is "Closer." But I took all the old hits and kind of revamped them with the band and everything. It's just so that I'm not doing the same show I was doing last year.

That must be fun.

Yeah, yeah. The crowd is loving it. It's really good.

Which song is probably the most different?

Probably "So Sick." There's a part of the song where we flipped the music up completely and changed it to kind of a reggae-ish, ska-ish groove.

When you're writing songs, how do you know if they will be songs for you or for another artist?

Well, it depends on how the song comes to be. I have my own personal studio. I go in there in my own free will sometimes and make music. If I do that, and I haven't promised it to anybody already, then of course I keep it for myself. Normally, when an artist wants me to write a song for them, their people will pay for studio time. They'll set up a session in a studio in some random place. Anything that comes out of that session is on their dime so it goes to that artist.

So you write on assignment then?

Yeah, there's been instances where I've been writing and I'll listen back and go, "This would sound great on this person or that person." But lately it's been on assignment.

What was it like working with Stargate?

Business as usual. The guys from Stargate, we kind of came into this whole thing together with "So Sick." It's always a cool vibe working with those guys just because they know me and I know them. So it's very, very easy to write to their track. It's very, very easy for them to [work with me]. We kind of have a format now. We know exactly what each other needs to make the song a hit.

Why did you decide to name your album "Year of the Gentleman"?

I decided to call the album "Year of the Gentleman" because I feel that that's what's needed right now. I feel that the essence of what it is to be a gentleman needs to be brought back to this industry. It's a little lacking as of late. I'm not saying there are no gentlemen in the industry. There are definitely some. But they are few and far between. I'm basically trying to lead by example with this album, showing cats how they're supposed to treat a lady--not necessarily a woman--but a lady; a lady is respectable. How they're supposed to look. To be an entertainer back in the day meant something. You have to look the part to call yourself an entertainer. Nowadays, Joe Schmo off the street with the grungy, not properly kept look can call themselves an entertainer and everybody accepts it--well, everybody except me, anyway. I'm trying to lead by example. I'm trying to bring some class and integrity back.

These days, there are no real "rock stars" anymore, except, I'd say, Lenny Kravitz. Nobody really dresses the part or the looks the part or acts the part. I could walk down the street, see some guy and never know he's in a band.

You'll never know. I don't understand that. As far back as I can remember, there was a look that came with being an entertainer. There's a reason a country/Western singer wears the big cowboy hat. There's a reason he does that. It's tradition--it's what it is to be a country/Western singer. I feel the same thing with R&B; music pop music. I think there's a look that goes with it. It's not fly no more. You don't see that effortless fly no more.

Did living in Las Vegas inspire you?

As far as creating this creature that is Ne-Yo? Absolutely. My whole sense of style comes from the whole Rat Pack era, especially now. I've always kept it pretty clean cut. But this time around, I'm really, really taking it as far as the suits and the style I have. It's very Sammy Davis Jr. It's very that era. Very, very late Las Vegas.