Ne-Yo invited fans to a horse ranch in Compton for an exclusive listening party for his new country-inspired album, Highway 79.
Photography and article written by MJ of @cameraondeck (Instagram). View her website here.
The “Welcome to Highway 79” event was appropriately hosted by The Compton Cowboys and Hotwater Cornbread, complementing the album’s country R&B sound and Ne-Yo’s Arkansas roots. Although the RSVP list opened nearly a week in advance, guests were approved and provided with the secret location details only hours before doors opened.
Guests arrived at the ranch dressed in country streetwear and were welcomed with cocktails provided by Lobos 1707 Tequila and savory bites from OHMYBURGER. Rodeo-inspired activations, spades competitions, and horse interactions added to the evening’s cowboy atmosphere, while DJs Jae Murphy, Rozay and MC Raw Swagger curated the night’s soundtrack with upbeat R&B and soul.
Attendees partied on the dance floor that was positioned directly in the middle of the ranch when Ne-Yo arrived to greet fans, take pictures and dance alongside them. What fans thought would be a casual appearance, turned out to be a meet-and-greet of sorts. There were no barriers separating Ne-Yo from the guests, allowing fans to freely approach him for quick selfies and conversation.
Ne-Yo spent some time grooving on the dance floor with the crowd before MC Raw Swagger announced that he needed the dance floor cleared. Ne-Yo needed space to film a TikTok video for his children. The crowd looked puzzled but quickly dispersed with their phones out, quietly ready to capture their own angles of the excitement. That’s when viral ukulele player Einer Banks approached the dance floor next to Ne-Yo, ready to perform. With Banks on the ukulele, Ne-Yo was handed a mic to surprise attendees with a brief and soulful rendition of his 2005 breakout hit, “So Sick”, turning a quick TikTok production into one of the night’s most memorable performances.
After thanking Banks for carrying the melody, Ne-Yo blended back into the crowded dance floor while his three leading ladies— Arielle, Cristina and Moneii— led a line dance to his recent hit single, “Ms. Tundra.” The celebration ended with a high-energy Soul Train Line before Ne-Yo’s departure to the after-party.
Ne-Yo concluded his “Nights like This” tour the following evening at Intuit Dome in nearby Inglewood, leaving fans with Highway 79; the album that brought him from the arena stage to a cowboy ranch in Compton.