Thursday, March 28, 2024

Eric Benet Talks New Album, Authentic Sound & Working With Tamia

Eric Benet
Eric Benet
SiriusXM’s ‘Up Close And Personal’ With Eric Benet

*Eric Benét broke onto the music scene in the early 90’s with his solo career and debut album, “True to Myself.” His second album, “A Day in the Life,” was released in 1999 and featured his smash hit “Spend My Life With You (featuring Tamia).”

Benét’s career was interrupted by a series of personal tragedies, including the death of his father from cancer. In 1993, his girlfriend died from injuries suffered in a car accident, leaving Eric a single father to their one-year-old daughter, India (born 1991). He married actress Halle Berry in January 2001, but by early October 2003 they had called it quits.

Now, 20 years following the release of his debut album, Eric is still crafting hit songs, and his upcoming self titled album is another testament to his passion for serving his fans resonating r&b albums.

YouKnowIGotSoul sat down with Benet while on a recent promo run in NYC and discussed the creation of the “Eric Benet” album, the authentic sound he maintains and a potential album with Tamia,

Peep excerpts from the interview below.

YouKnowIGotSoul: Your new self-titled album is coming out. We had a chance to hear an advance copy and we love the sound and the direction you went. It’s really authentic Eric Benet. Talk about the creation of the album.

Eric Benét: It was something that I where I sat down with my partner Demonte, who I’ve been making music with since my first solo album “True to Myself”, and I really wanted this album to be pure r&b without any attempt to be anything other than completely authentic and creative. I wanted it to be my own little r&b statement. I didn’t want it to feel like anything out right now or I had done. However, one of the cool things about being in the industry so long is you tend to develop your own sound. It’s like people can pretty much tell it’s an Eric Benet song. I love that people can identify my music right away. I just love the fact that this record definitely has its own personality and still has its feet firmly planted in what people have come to identify as my sound.

READ RELATED STORY: Halle Berry Claps Back At Obsessive Troll: ‘I’m Not Ashamed of My Children’

eric benet sirius

YouKnowIGotSoul: What we noticed is that it kinda sounds like you picked up where you left off after “The One” from a few years back. What inspired you during the creation of this album?

Eric Benét: I like to go into the studio and start work on a project when it’s time. I don’t like to do it too early or too late. This particular album right here, it’s going to be a couple of years to let it breathe and live. My thing about going into the studio with this record was, just being completely free to do what I do and expound on my sound. The interesting thing scheduling wise with this record, my wife and I are parents to a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old. It’s really important for me to always be there for bath time and breakfast time and on the weekends. On this album, I really gave myself five hours a day throughout the week to work on the record. I would leave the house around noon and I’d make sure I was home around six. It’s really an important time not to miss out on. It took a little bit longer to actually record the album for that reason, but man I just love the way it feels.

YouKnowIGotSoul: You came out of the gate with the first single “Sunshine” which has reached the Top 5 on Urban A/C radio. What’s the feeling seeing how well it’s been received and how fans are welcoming you back?

Eric Benét: It’s interesting because it’s one of those songs I did not know it was a single, let alone the first single. I don’t do well at picking first single. My head of promotion, Ken Wilson, who is a veteran and legend in the radio promo world, he’s done this before. He actually chose the single. The last time he did this for me was a song called “You’re the Only One” and I had the same feeling about that one. That was on the “Love & Life” album. I remember on that album, we were listening to a lot of stuff, and then I just let him hear that one, and he immediately picked that as a single. It shot to number one. It was déjà vu all over again. We were listening to the whole record and he came to the studio in Hollywood and we were trying to figure out what the first single was. We thought we had picked a song, but then I played him this one which he hadn’t heard yet. He just immediately said that was the single. Here we are. I think the song is number three this week and still going up. I can’t be mad at that.

Read the rest of this interview at YouKnowIGotSoul OR watch the video below. “Eric Benet” is set to release on October 7th and is available for pre-order here.

 

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