Highway 79 (album)

Highway 79
The cover consists of Ne-Yo wearing a cowboy hat and riding a horse under the shadows, with a bonfire behind him. Both the artist's name and the album title appear on the top-left and top-right corners of the cover, colored in black.
Studio album by
Ne-Yo
ReleasedJuly 10, 2026
Length36:56
Labels
Producers
Ne-Yo chronology
Self Explanatory
(2022)		 Highway 79
(2026)
Singles from Highway 79
  1. "Simple Things"
    Released: November 21, 2025[1]
  2. "Up Out & Gone"
    Released: March 27, 2026[2]
  3. "Ms. Tundra"
    Released: May 22, 2026[3]
  4. "Thinking What I'm Thinking"
    Released: June 19, 2026[4]
  5. "Dance Right Now"
    Released: July 10, 2026[5]

Highway 79 is the tenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo. It was released on July 10, 2026, by HSG Ventures under exclusive licensing to 10K Projects.[6] It is his first album in almost four years since 2022's Self Explanatory.

Background and composition

Highway 79 was recorded entirely in Nashville, Tennessee. On the Joe and Jada podcast in September 2025, Ne-Yo described the album as a fusion of his signature R&B sound with elements of country music.[7] In an interview with iHeartRadio in March 2026 prior to the album's announcement, Ne-Yo further elaborated on the album's sound, saying that his source of inspiration for the project was "all the things" he admired about country music, but also remarked that explicitly calling it a country album would be "disrespectful [...] when I know for a fact that there are artists that eat, sleep, live, and breathe country music 24 hours a day, seven days a week."[8]

Promotion

The album's lead single, "Simple Things", was released on November 21, 2025.[1] The second single, "Up Out & Gone", was released on March 27, 2026.[2][9] The third single, "Ms. Tundra", was released in tandem with the album's announcement on May 22, 2026.[3][10] "Thinking What I'm Thinking" was issued as the fourth single.[4][11] The fifth "Dance Right Now" was unveiled alongside the album.[5][12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStar[13]

AllMusic's Andy Kellman wrote: "While nothing is truly substandard, not much sticks. Still, Ne-Yo sounds inspired and as if he's having fun a little outside his comfort zone."[13]

Track listing

Highway 79 track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Up Out & Gone"
Yung Lan2:56
2."Hate Me Now"
3:09
3."Wish I Didn't Know You"
Robbins3:11
4."Thinking What I'm Thinking"
  • Harmony
4:42
5."Dance Right Now"
  • Sumser
  • Small
3:08
6."Ms. Tundra"
  • Smith
  • Kelly
  • Harmony
Harmony3:12
7."Next Round On Me"
Wilson3:38
8."Simple Things"
  • Smith
  • Dave Cohen
  • Milan Modi
  • Christian Stalnecker
  • Madi Yanofsky
  • Cohen
  • Lan
2:58
9."Only Ever Been You"
  • Smith
  • Harmony
  • Kelly
  • Emmi Elliot
  • Bonnie Dymond
  • John Hall
  • Tommy Acker
  • Dymond
  • Harmony
  • Kelly
2:58
10."Crooked Halo"
  • Smith
  • Dymond
  • Harmony
  • Kelly
  • Dymond
  • Harmony
  • Kelly
3:12
11."If I Roped the Moon"
  • Laird
3:52
Total length:36:56

Charts

Chart performance for Highway 79
Chart (2026) Peak
position
UK Album Downloads (Official Charts)[14]48

References

  1. 1 2 Cowen, Trace William (November 21, 2025). "Ne-Yo Gives Taste of Upcoming Country-Inspired Album With "Simple Things"". Complex. Archived from the original on December 13, 2025. Retrieved July 5, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Powell, Jon (March 27, 2026). "Ne-Yo blends smooth R&B with country flair on "Up, Out, & Gone"". REVOLT. Archived from the original on March 29, 2026. Retrieved July 5, 2026.
  3. 1 2 Grant, Shawn (May 22, 2026). "NE-YO Releases "Ms. Tundra" Ahead of Country-Inspired Album Highway 79". The Source. Archived from the original on May 23, 2026. Retrieved July 5, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Rashad (June 18, 2026). "Ne-Yo Rocks Amazon Music with 'Ms. Tundra' Live / Unveils New Song 'Thinking What I'm Thinking'". That Grape Juice. Archived from the original on June 20, 2026. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  5. 1 2 Rashad (July 9, 2026). "Ne-Yo Drops Debut Country Album 'Highway 79' & New Song 'Dance Right Now': Stream". That Grape Juice. Archived from the original on July 11, 2026. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Highway 79 by Ne-Yo on Apple Music". Apple Music. July 10, 2026. Retrieved July 5, 2026.
  7. ↑ Samuels, Keithan (November 25, 2025). "Ne-Yo Releases Country-Inspired Song 'Simple Things'". Rated R&B. Archived from the original on December 4, 2025. Retrieved July 5, 2026. Recorded in Nashville, "Simple Things" is set to appear on Ne-Yo's forthcoming album, which will fuse country and R&B. "I can't not be me but it's everything that I love about country music mixed with what it is that I normally do," Ne-Yo told Joe and Jada podcast hosts Fat Joe and Jadakiss.
  8. ↑ Centeno, Tony M. (March 26, 2026). "NE-YO Says His Upcoming Album Will Be 'All The Things I Love About Country Music'". iHeartCountry. iHeartMedia. Archived from the original on August 3, 2026. Retrieved July 5, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Up Out & Gone - Single by Ne-Yo on Apple Music". Apple Music. March 27, 2026. Retrieved July 5, 2026.
  10. ↑ Hollabaugh, Lorie (May 22, 2026). "NE-YO To Release Country-Inspired LP 'Highway 79'". MusicRow. Archived from the original on May 23, 2026. Retrieved July 5, 2026.
  11. ↑ Smith, Carl (June 19, 2026). "New Music Friday: Myles Smith, Jazzy, Blossoms, Hard-Fi and more". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on July 8, 2026. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Warner Music Southeast Asia – new releases (week of 10 July 2026)". Inquirer. July 10, 2026. Archived from the original on July 14, 2026. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  13. 1 2 Kellman, Andy. "Ne-Yo: Highway 79". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 15, 2026. Retrieved August 3, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Official Album Downloads Chart on 17/7/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
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