After an almost eight-year hiatus, Eric Benét is topping the charts once again, but this time he’s doing it his way.
“We’re super excited about the label that I now own with Alison Ball – JBR Creative Group. It is a dream project of ours,” said the four-time Grammy-nominated R&B singer who will be at the Bell Auditorium Saturday. Benét is part of the R&B Invitation Tour, featuring R&B legends Joe Thomas and Musiq Soulchild. For tickets, go here.
Through that dream project, Benét released his “Duets” EP last year and its first single “Something We Can Make Love To” topped the charts. A second song “So Distracted” with Chante Moore broke into the Top 10 last month and is currently No. 9.
Benét has worked with Ball much of his career with Ball signing Benét to his first contract EMI and later at Warner Brothers. And now that they are on their own, they are laser-focused to ensure its success.
“It all starts with a song. We truly understand how powerful and also how enigmatic making a hit song can be, but fortunately for Alison and I, we have a lot of experience in producing and making those. We can spot a hit,” he said.
Being an independent label has pros and cons. A major record company has lots of money to back a project. The industry provides a lot of opportunities that Benét learned from.
“I’m forever grateful. I’ll never take that lightly,” he said of working with Warner Brothers. “But the nature of those contracts and corporate structure doesn’t leave a lot of room more often than not for autonomy of the artist and a lot of ownership of the artist — of its own masters and own destiny.”
With that autonomy and creative control reclaimed, Benét is looking ahead with what he can do — not only for his own music, but for the music of other artists.
He’s particularly excited about new artists Joe Leone and Autumn Paige.
Benét signed his first recording contract in 1991 with his sister, Lisa, and cousin, George Nash Jr., in a group called Benét. Their record didn’t go anywhere.
In 1996, he released “True to Myself.”
In 1999, he released “Spend My Life With You (featuring Tamia).” It hit No. 1 on the US Billboard R&B charts for three weeks and nominated for a 2000 Grammy Award for “Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group.
In 2009, he was nominated for Best R&B Album for the album “Love & Life” and for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for the song “You’re the Only One.”
In 2012, he was nominated for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song “Sometimes I Cry.”
Benét’s hiatus came as he took some time off to be with his young daughters, but at one point in his career, he also found himself stuck. He was beholden to a contract, but the label wouldn’t release any more music.
Now, he can move forward with his creative ideas on his timeline, and there’s nothing like “being the captain of your own starship,” he said,
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for 35 years. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
