Ne-Yo co-wrote Beyoncé’s hit song “Irreplaceable.”
The song was written by Ne-Yo, Beyoncé, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Espen Lind, and Amund Bjørklund. Stargate, the Norwegian production and songwriting team of Hermansen and Eriksen, produced the track with Beyoncé.
“Irreplaceable” appeared on Beyoncé’s second solo studio album, B’Day, released in 2006. Its acoustic-guitar-driven arrangement and breakup lyrics gave the album a softer pop and R&B crossover moment. The memorable chorus includes the phrase “to the left,” which became strongly associated with the song.
The single became one of Beyoncé’s biggest chart successes and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Ne-Yo was already known as a singer and songwriter, and he also wrote major songs for other performers. A frequent mix-up is crediting the song solely to Beyoncé; she performed it, but the official songwriting credit includes several collaborators.