NE-YO Takes World Series Stage For Game 4 National Anthem

NE-YO will sing the national anthem before World Series Game 4 on Tuesday, October 27, bringing the R&B star to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Hailey Riggs will provide American Sign Language interpretation during the performance, according to WFLA.

Major League Baseball confirmed his appearance, with FOX’s coverage set to begin at 7 p.m. ET.

The booking comes in a year that marks two decades since his debut album, In My Own Words. The 2006 release topped the Billboard 200. Since then, the three-time Grammy winner has built a career both at the microphone and behind other artists’ songs.

His catalog includes “So Sick,” “Sexy Love,” “Closer,” and “Miss Independent.” Beyond his own records, he has written Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable” and Rihanna’s “Unfaithful,” “Russian Roulette,” and “Take a Bow.” He also earned his first diamond-certified song through “Give Me Everything,” his collaboration with Pitbull and Afrojack.

This summer, he took his music toward country with Highway 79. Released July 10, the 11-song album was recorded in Nashville and included “Thinking What I’m Thinking,” “Up Out & Gone” and “Ms. Tundra.” Apple Music’s album notes describe a project that brought country influences into his R&B sound.

That expansion followed a different kind of stage assignment. He made his Broadway debut as Davis in Alicia Keys’ “Hell’s Kitchen,” beginning December 4, 2025. The musical used Keys’ songs to tell the story of a 17-year-old girl named Ali. He had previously played the Tin Man in NBC’s “The Wiz Live!”

The move into musical theater put him in a role built around another artist’s catalog. His work had already crossed into film and television, including “Stomp The Yard” and “World Of Dance.”

Long before those later bookings, he spoke to AllHipHop about learning to love performing. In the 2006 interview, he said songwriting had initially felt more comfortable.

Watching recordings of his earliest shows also made him see how much he had loosened up.

Even then, he said his tastes went well beyond Hip-Hop and R&B. He named country, folk, rock and heavy metal among the styles he enjoyed.

“I’ve always loved to sing, and I’ve developed such a craving for a stage,” he said.