Ne-Yo's new album was inspired by Michael Jackson.

The 'Miss Independent' hitmaker revealed his new offering 'Libra Scale' came about because he was "bored" with his previous material and wanted to try something more creative in the style of the late King of Pop.

He told Essence magazine: "It is made up of a few components. Firstly, boredom! I was bored with the concept of just doing another compilation of songs. I wanted to do something with a little more creative edge to it.

"Secondly, the late great Michael Jackson. Looking back on what he did for entertainment as a whole was a key inspiration and motivation to push the envelope a little bit."

The singer-and-songwriter - who has amassed a large catalogue of number one hits he has written for other artists - explained he decided to put a story and meaning behind the record to make it more interesting for fans.

He said: "I did it for the sake of entertainment. Nobody really does concepts anymore, thus the music, the visual, the whole nine is just bland. Call this album seasoning salt for the entertainment pallet."