American singer and songwriter, Ne-Yo, has admitted that monogamy does not align with his personal truth.
He disclosed this in an interview on the YouTube show, Lemon Drop with Karleen Roy.
The 45-year-old shared that he spent years conforming to societal expectations, pretending to be someone he wasn’t to please others.
Reflecting on societal pressures to commit to one partner, Ne-Yo explained that he has now embraced a lifestyle that feels more authentic to him.
However, he made it clear that his stance is not a critique of marriage or those who thrive in monogamous relationships, but a recognition that it simply doesn’t work for him.
The singer also shared that embracing polyamory has been liberating, describing it as a “weight lifted off” his shoulders.
According to him, he no longer feels pressured to conform to societal norms and can now be his authentic self.
“I realized that I’ve not been living my truth for a very, very long time. I’m living it now, and you could tell—my skin is glowing.
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“Society tells you that you’re supposed to be with one person. You get married and y’all supposed to be together forever.
“I am not shitting on marriage. I’m not shitting on anyone who has figured out how to make that thing work for them. Again, everything’s not for everybody. Monogamy is for you. It’s not for me.
“Complete and utter time wasted when I could have just been exactly who I am, said exactly what I want, exactly how I’m rocking, exactly how I’m not, and then waited for those people to gravitate to me because that’s my reality now,” Ne-Yo explained. “I don’t have to lie anymore, and I’ll be damned if I ever go back to that person that needed to lie for the appeasement of somebody else. I’m not that no more.
“Striving for happiness—ain’t nothing wrong with it,” he added. “As long as my happy ain’t messing with anybody else’s happy, then I’m in the right place. I’m where I’m supposed to be.”