The 'Closer' singer described the tone of Maynard's voice as "insane" and believes he could be as successful as the soul legend.
© Ian West/PA Wire
© Ian West/PA Wire
"Conor is amazing. He has the talent, the potential of those guys like Marvin [Gaye] and The Temptations," Ne-Yo told Daily Star.
"His tone is insane. It's really, really rare that I come across a person that has a tone I wish I had, and he's a good kid mentally. That's too few and far between."
Ne-Yo also explained that Maynard is "not taking the world too serious" and he told the 19-year-old to "cling onto that", insisting that he will "stand the test of time" in the music industry.
The pair have teamed up for Maynard's latest single 'Turn Around', which recently became the third consecutive top ten single from his debut album Contrast.
>Read Digital Spy's review of Contrast
Watch the 'Turn Around' music video below:
