R&B singer-songwriter Ne-Yo is ready to take on his biggest project yet: fatherhood. The entertainer, whose real name is Shaffer Chimere Smith, announced that he and his girlfriend Monyetta Shaw are expecting their first child. Ne-Yo recently flew down to Atlanta to be with Shaw during the couple's first ultrasound, and while they are still unsure as to the baby's gender, they're elated about the news of their blessing.

'I am 30 and I do have my first child on the way, and I'm very, very, very excited about that', he told Ebony Magazine of the baby, due in January 2011. "It's a New Year's baby and I'm just in a really good place right now."

Though this is Ne-Yo's first child, he previously believed he fathered a son who he named Chimere Smith with an ex-girlfriend in 2005, only to later learn that the baby's mom conceived the child with another man. After learning of the news that the child wasn't his own, Ne-Yo stopped paying the woman's rent and went into litigation, forcing her to be evicted from her apartment.

In addition to learning the news of being a father, Ne-Yo has another big project on the way. His fourth album, 'Libra Scale,' is slated for release on September 16, which has already been precluded with the StarGate-produced single 'Beautiful Monster.' The album centers on a concept inspired by a script for a film penned by Ne-Yo that will be included as a DVD feature with the release of the album. Ne-Yo has also been in the studio writing tracks for Rihanna and Beyonce, and can be heard on Rick Ross' newest single 'Super High' off the rapper's upcoming album 'Teflon Don.'

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