R&B singer Ne-Yo isn't angered by rumors about his sexuality - he credits the false whispers for making him a household name. The So Sick hit maker - real name Shaffer Chimere Smith - was a constant source of speculation last year when online reports suggested the 24-year-old was gay.

But Ne-Yo, who was briefly married when he was 19, insists there is no truth in the rumors and blames the speculation on his tendency to keep his private life out of the spotlight. He tells Vibe Magazine, "For one, I'm an R&B singer, so that's one strike against me anyway. I've never been the thuggish dude. This is the way I look at it now. For one, you're nobody 'til they think you're gay - that's the truth of the business. Two? You really gotta take the good with the bad. "

"I was having a conversation with my management and the label, and they said, 'We've really got to get you out in public more because after they say you're a great songwriter, what else is there to say? Nobody knows anything about your lifestyle.' I think that's why the gay thing was so easy to believe, because it was one of the only things that came out about me that didn't have to do with music."

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(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)