Eric Benét

Eric Benét crafts contemporary R&B infused with understated hip-hop touches and pronounced adult contemporary leanings. During his teenage years he sang in a family vocal ensemble named Benét that also included his sister and cousin. The trio secured a contract with EMI and issued their self-titled album in 1992, though the project drew little notice. Shortly thereafter Eric launched a solo career, signing with Warner Bros. and delivering his first album, True to Myself, in the fall of 1996. A Day in the Life appeared in 1999. Its opening single, a version of Toto’s “Georgy Porgy,” received modest radio play, yet the album’s second single, “Spend My Life with You” featuring Tamia, brought him widespread recognition. The track reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart, earned gold certification, and was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group. Buoyed by this momentum, A Day in the Life attained platinum status and captured a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Album, Male.

Around the same time Benét contributed to the studio sessions for Earth, Wind & Fire’s 30th anniversary album. He also began a relationship with actress Halle Berry that led to their marriage in 2001. Possibly encouraged by his partner, Benét pursued acting and landed a recurring role on WB’s For Your Love before making his feature-film debut in Mariah Carey’s glittering show-business drama Glitter. Berry and Benét ended their marriage in 2003, two years before he released his third album, Hurricane. Benét later returned to his native Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to record Love & Life, which surfaced in 2008 and earned two further Grammy nominations. Two years afterward he released Lost in Time, a tribute to the classic smooth-soul aesthetic of the 1970s. The One, a brighter and more contemporary collection that included guest appearances by Lil Wayne and Shaggy, followed in 2012. After issuing an all-covers project aimed at the Japanese market, Benét unveiled a self-titled album in 2016.