Ne-Yo or Johntá Austin: Who won the phenomenal Instagram Live battle as fans go gaga over 'mutual respect'?
Social distancing seems to be the new normal nowadays. To keep the entertainment quotient high, Ne-Yo and Johntá Austin started an Instagram Live battle with their greatest hits.
Ne-Yo and Johntá Austin are the latest to join the bandwagon after Sean Garrett and The-Dream's battle on March 28 and their stint seems to be making quite a buzz on Twitter. It all started when Ne-Yo posted on his Instagram Story, “Anybody wanna see me and @therealjohntaaustin go at it tonight??”
Soon, Austin responded, “Y’all requested. My brother & I will oblige. Great night ahead!” The ground rules were set as Austin listed down on Twitter: "I’ve been getting hit up about the ground rules. More details to follow but what we have so far... 1. Show up sober, 2. 25 songs a piece, 3. Songs must already be released, 4. Any genre counts and 5. 1m 30 secs max play for each song."
Soon, the song war started on Instagram with Ne-Yo's tracks like 'Miss Independent' and 'Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)' and Mariah Carey’s 2005 cut 'We Belong Together' and Aaliyah’s 'Miss You' from Austin. As more melodious tunes started coming in, fans couldn't help but get embroiled in the contest. One music lover even went on to pen down all the tracks and posted a picture on Twitter, writing, "Final list. Johnta Austin vs Ne-Yo pen battle. This was legendary."
Excited fans have been pouring out messages and taking their pick from the two. "What happened with Dream vs Sean Garrett on a Saturday night compared to Ne-Yo vs Johnta Austin on a Sunday night is really the perfect metaphor for a weekend lol," one wrote and another said, "This IG Live battle with Johnta Austin and Ne-Yo is real classy. I feel like I should have an outfit on. It’s nice to see them show love and respect for each other’s work as well."
A lot of Twitter fans showered love for their "mutual respect" during the battle. "What I love most about this Johnta vs. Ne-Yo battle is the mutual respect for their craft," one wrote and another said, "Johnta took this whole battle. But I love that Ne-Yo ended it with Irreplaceable. Awesome sportsmanship." Another one posted, "Ne-Yo v. Johnta Austin is a hard one #yikes. The public knows about Ne-Yo but don’t sleep on Johnta."
Many called the match "phenomenal." "This Johnta Austin vs. Ne-Yo songwriting battle on IG has been fucking PHENOMENAL," one fan posted and another wrote, "Ne-Yo vs. Johnta Austin was easily the BEST Instagram Live battle we received. I commend them."
Moreover, fans started taking sides and spoke about who they feel deserves the win. A few supported Ne-Yo, but a majority of song listeners gave their vote to Austin. "This was NOT a tie...Johnta won but Ne-Yo stayed a float....but these brothers have hits for days!!!!!" and another posted, "Johnta won this with the Mariah and Aaliyah tracks! It’s not up for discussion but Ne-Yo DEFINITELY did his thing!"
"It was a close race, but Ne-Yo won. This man not only included hits he wrote for others, but HIS OWN hits. That’s an even tougher feat. But Johnta got that pen tho," one posted and another wrote, "I've only listened to about 30 minutes of Johnta and Ne-Yo and Johnta def won." Another posted, "Johnta won off the strength of tracks we had NO IDEA he had a hand in. A Ne-Yo track is amazing, but obvious and easily recognizable if you listen to him. Johnta is a force."
If you missed the battle, catch it on Instagram. Who do you think won according to you? Tell us in the comments below.