Ne-yo, one of the most prolific singer songwriters in modern pop, is embarking on his first UK arena tour this summer, including a date at Birmingham NIA.

The  Grammy award winner, who has penned hits for Rihanna, Mary J. Blige, Britney Spears and Beyonce,will be in concert at the NIA on Wednesday July 15, 2009.

Ne-yo is expected to showcase songs from his third album, Year of the Gentleman, including Closer, Miss Independent and his signature hits So Sick and Because of You.

Tickets cost £35 plus booking and transaction fees and are on sale now.

Year of the Gentleman, was written over the course of Ne-Yo’s travels through Europe and was influenced by his own fascination with the Rat Pack.

He explains: “For me, the sharpness of Sammy and Sinatra is the kind of style I strive for in clothes and music. Year of the Gentleman is named in honor of those guys.”

He adds: “I am not trying to contain myself in some little box marked ‘urban’. I have travelled the world, and I want to bring that across in the material. Forget about urban, pop or whatever, Year of the Gentleman is a worldly album.”