This was written by Ne-Yo and produced by Stargate. The R&B singer-songwriter originally teamed up with the Norwegian production team on his breakthrough hit "
So Sick." Live Daily asked Ne-Yo what it was like working with Stargate. He replied: "Business as usual. The guys from Stargate, we kind of came into this whole thing together with 'So Sick.' It's always a cool vibe working with those guys just because they know me and I know them. So it's very, very easy to write to their track. It's very, very easy for them to [work with me]. We kind of have a format now. We know exactly what each other needs to make the song a hit."
Stargate and Ne-Yo also teamed up together on "
Closer," "Mad" and "Back to What You Know" from
Year of the Gentleman.
The song's video was themed after the 1992 Eddie Murphy romantic comedy movie Boomerang and features Gabriel Union, Keri Hilson and Lauren London. It was directed by Chris Robinson.
Ne-Yo explained to Live Direct the album title: "I decided to call the album Year of the Gentleman because I feel that that's what's needed right now. I feel that the essence of what it is to be a gentleman needs to be brought back to this industry. It's a little lacking as of late. I'm not saying there are no gentlemen in the industry. There are definitely some. But they are few and far between. I'm basically trying to lead by example with this album, showing cats how they're supposed to treat a lady--not necessarily a woman--but a lady; a lady is respectable. How they're supposed to look. To be an entertainer back in the day meant something. You have to look the part to call yourself an entertainer. Nowadays, Joe Schmo off the street with the grungy, not properly kept look can call themselves an entertainer and everybody accepts it--well, everybody except me, anyway. I'm trying to lead by example. I'm trying to bring some class and integrity back."
In an interview with Billboard magazine Ne-Yo said that he was inspired by the style, respect and grace of Rat Packers such as like Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. as he conceptualized the album. He explained: "Years ago, if you weren't wearing the right suit or have a correct crease in your pants, you couldn't even get in the door - let alone on stage to perform. For me, the sharpness of Sammy and Sinatra is the kind of style I strive for in clothes and music. Year of the Gentleman is named in honor of those guys."
Ne-Yo told The Boston Globe September 18, 2008 about this track: "'Miss Independent' is very much a core Ne-Yo fan song. I knew that I threw them something that they had to wrap their minds around (with 'Closer'), so now that we've done that let's remind them that I still got you, it's still me, I'm just trying new things. This song is an ode to my mom, my grandmother, my aunts, and all the women all over the world like them - women that can do it themselves and make no apologies for who they are. They're strong because they're strong, love it or leave it."
This became Ne-Yo’s first chart-topper in the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs survey. Three times previously the R&B singer-songwriter had peaked at #2 on that particular tally, with his own "
Sexy Love" (2006), "Make Me Better" (2007) by Fabolous featuring Ne-Yo and "
Bust It Baby (Part 2)" (2008) by Plies featuring Ne-Yo. Prior to this becoming Ne-Yo’s first song to achieve peak position on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart he’d achieved #1s on the Hot 100, Hot Rap Tracks and the Hot Dance Club Play lists.
This replaced "
Spotlight" by Jennifer Hudson at the top spot on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, which was also a collaboration between Ne-Yo and Stargate.
Ne-Yo grew up surrounded by his mother, sister, grandmother, and five aunts until age 16, a household of women who handled everything from changing tires to squishing spiders without waiting to be rescued. Living around these self-reliant women led him to decide that if he ever married, he wanted a partner with that same independent spirit, which became the foundation for "Miss Independent."
During an appearance on the Zach Sang Show, Ne-Yo revealed that when he told his mother the track was inspired by her, she was deeply moved and "cried like a baby."
