(AllHipHop News) R&B star Ne-Yo finally decided to embraced his balding head this year as part of his journey to self-love.
The “Sexy Love” hitmaker has rarely been photographed without his trademark hat since rising to fame in 2006, and it’s a fashion accessory he has relied on for more than half of his life, because his hairline started to recede before he had even hit puberty.
“My hat has been my crutch for a long time,” he admitted on U.S. breakfast show Today. “My hair started thinning… when I was 11, 12, 13, and you know how mean school kids can be, so I was allowed to wear my cap in school because I got picked on so much.
“So after a while, it just kinda became part of my face, to where I felt naked without it.”
However, after tying the knot with second wife Crystal Renay last year and becoming a father for the third time, Ne-Yo decided it was time he quit using his vast collection of headgear to try and hide his hair loss, and the singer has since grown more comfortable showing off his bare head in public.
“I told myself 2017, it’s about self-love, it’s about confidence, it’s about just living in who you are (sic) and loving it,” he explained.