Benjamin Duterde (; born 10 November 1984), better known by his stage name Ben l'Oncle Soul (, ), is a French soul singer and songwriter. He has released four studio albums, the self-titled debut ''
Ben l'Oncle Soul'' in 2010, ''À coup de rêves'' in 2014, ''Under My Skin'' in 2016, and ''Addicted to You'' in 2020.
Career
After graduating in 2004, he started singing in a
gospel group called Fitiavana. His friends called him "l'Oncle Ben" because he was often wearing a bow tie like Uncle Ben from
Uncle Ben's Rice.
But he decided to change the name in 2009, shortly before the release of his first
EP, ''Soul Wash: Lesson 1'', to avoid copyright problems.
His eponymous debut album,
Ben l'Oncle Soul, was released by
Motown Records
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...
in 2010.
On 25 June 2011, Ben l'Oncle Soul opened the 32nd edition of the
Montreal Jazz Festival in a major free concert in front of more than 10,000 people at the Scène TD de la place des Festivals in the heart of Montreal. The concert was his third appearance in Montreal having performed at the 2010
FrancoFolies and at the 2011 Montréal High Lights Festival. He performed at
North Sea Jazz Festival
The North Sea Jazz Festival is an annual festival held each second weekend of July in the Netherlands at the Ahoy venue. It used to be in The Hague but since 2006 it has been held in Rotterdam. This is because the Statenhal where the festival w ...
on 9 July 2011, and appeared on ''
Later... with Jools Holland'' on BBC 2 on 21 October 2011. As part of the
London Jazz Festival, he played at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in the
Southbank Centre
Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, England, on the South Bank of the River Thames (between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge).
It comprises three main performance venues (the Royal Festival Hall including the Nat ...
, London, on 12 November 2011.
In 2014, Ben l'Oncle Soul released his second studio album, ''À coup de rêves''. His third album, ''Under My Skin'', was released in 2016, and ''Addicted to You'' in 2020.
Discography
Studio albums
Live albums
EPs
*2009: ''Soul Wash: Lesson 1''
*2019: ''Ben''
*2023: ''Is it You?''
Singles
*Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but rather in the bubbling under Ultratip charts.
Features
Awards and nominations
*2010: Nominated for the
Prix Constantin for ''Ben l'Oncle Soul''
*2010: Nominated for La Chanson de l'année (The Song of the Year) for "Soulman"
*2011: Nominated for Francophone Breakthrough of the Year for ''Ben l'Oncle Soul'' at the
NRJ Music Awards
*2011: Won for Best Male Singer of the Year at the
Globes de Cristal
The Awards (English: Crystal Globe Awards) is a set of awards bestowed by members of the French Press Association recognizing excellence in home art and culture. The annual formal ceremony and dinner at which the awards are presented happens each ...
*2011: Won for Live Breakthrough at the
Victoires de la musique
*2011: Nominated for Breakthrough of the Public at the Victoires de la musique
*2011: Nominated for Album of the Year for ''Ben l'Oncle Soul'' at the Victoires de la musique
*2011: Nominated for Music Video of the Year for "Soulman" at the Victoires de la musique
*2011: Nominated for Best French Artist for ''Ben l'Oncle Soul'' at the
MTV Europe Music Awards
*2012: Won for
European Border Breakers Award"European Border Breakers Award"
, Etep.nl. Retrieved 20 February 2012
References
External links
Official website
"Ben L'Oncle Soul"
EBBA feature
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ben l'Oncle Soul
1984 births
Living people
French people of Martiniquais descent
Musicians from Tours, France
21st-century French singers
21st-century French male singers