Interview: Eric Benét - Singer and Songwriter

Over the past decade, the R&B landscape has completely changed, especially amongst the field of male performers. One by one, as fate would have it, a once-vast crop of classic R&B crooners had their careers ended, due to artistic and economic pressures fueled by the 90's hip-hop juggernaut. In the face of such challenges, however, Eric Benét weathered the industry's burgeoning "cultural storm" and stayed true to himself and the music he chose to create.

His fourth album, Love & Life, pays homage to glory days of classic R&B and, without much publicity, his work has been rewarded by R&B junkies across the country. The album's lead single, "You're The Only One," reached the number-one spot on urban AC radio and brought widespread attention to a career — and musical style — that had been written off as having already seen its best days. 

Upon review of Love & Life, Eric Benét managed to squeeze some time out of his busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry — reflecting on fatherhood, the shelving of Better & Better and the current state of R&B.

As one of the few male R&B artists that has been able to have longevity in the music business, what personal and professional characteristics do you think contributed to your long-term success?

I've never tried to chase a vibe or a sound that is hot at the moment, you know what I'm saying? I've never tried to adjust what it is that I do to try to get more airplay. I've always just tried to get better at my song writing and just stay real. Every time I sit down and write a song, I just let my heart pour into it and not try to fit it into any type of demographic, or think, "Okay, I'm going to get radio spins on this record." I'm not trying to think like that. I'm just try to make the best product I can and write the strongest song I can to the point where it's emotionally touching me.

I think just doing what you do –- and I've been doing it for quite awhile now—if you do it long enough, you just get better and better at your thing until you just own that thing. I think it's at a point right now where people can identify an Eric Benét song almost in the first couple of bars. I've been working at what it is that I do, not trying to get multiple producers. "There's a new producer in Atlanta. There's a new producer over here. Let me make sure I get at least 2 cuts on the album with that guy so I can have some sales," – that hadn't been my thing.

Love & Life definitely stands out amongst the current crop of R&B albums, with its unique sound and identifiable homage to classic R&B. On the whole, why do you think R&B music has changed over the years?

For me, what they call R&B right now doesn't even feel so much like R&B. It's more like pop-dance music, really. Songs that are R&B tend to be called either neo-soul or alternative or something like that. For me, what I would like to see infused more into R&B is the way they used to construct the song. I think more often these days, the way a hit R&B song is written is – probably all too often – a producer will make a hot beat, you know. A producer will make a really dope drum groove, and then turn that groove over to somebody and say, "Put a melody on top of that and write the lyrics on it." Sometimes that makes really fun and great music. Sometimes it doesn't.

Article Author: Clayton Perry

Clayton Perry's mission parallels that of John Hope Franklin, Marcus Garvey and Carter G. Woodson. As the founder of the NUBIANO Project, Perry facilitates the design of projects that give voice to the Black diaspora, empower the Black community, …

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