"He told me that he likes the way I do Michael Jackson," Ne-Yo told MTV. "I asked him what he meant by that, and he said, 'When you do that, it doesn't feel like you're trying to copy me or trying to be me. It feels like you're complimenting me.' And that's what I'm doing."

Ne-Yo was humbled and excited that his idol complimented his work. "It means the world that he liked it," he said.

The MJ tribute track he played is called "Nobody," and it presents a different scenario thank his current single "Closer." "Say she didn't give you anything, but instead she just started dancing, and it was the most amazing thing you've ever seen," Ne-Yo said. "It's like she's untouchable, like it would be a sin to touch her or dance with her, with what's going on with her right now."

On another track from the album called "Stop the World," the singer talks about falling in love so hard that you believe those feelings could literally stop the world from spinning, reports MTV.

According to Ne-Yo, that happens a lot to him. In fact, the song is inspired by a woman he written two other songs about in the past -- "So Sick" and "Do You" from his previous albums.

"I talk to her from time to time," he said of the mystery woman. "She knows she's responsible [for those three songs]. Her man knows, her daughter knows, and they're flattered. She makes for great song lyrics, but she better not ask for 10 percent!

"The crazy thing about the song is that whenever you're in a blissful situation, you can't help but think about when it's going to end," Ne-Yo said. "I think deep down, everybody just wants to be sad. That's when you feel you're most alive. Not when you're happy."

While he has a lot of material on deck for the new album, the final tracklist is yet to be determined, according to MTV.

Year of the Gentleman is due in August.

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