# Eric Benét
**Eric Benét** (born Eric Benét Jordan, 1966, in [Milwaukee](https://www.edgepedia.org/milwaukee), Wisconsin) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and producer known for a catalog of sophisticated adult contemporary R&B that includes the gold-selling album *A Day in the Life* and the number-one R&B duet "Spend My Life with You" with Tamia[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/benet-mn0000800475) • [8](https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/eric-benet). He has been nominated for four [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards)[2](https://news.theurbanmusicscene.com/2026/06/eric-benet-releases-new-track-whos-gonna-save-us/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Eric Benét Jordan, 1966, Milwaukee, Wisconsin[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/benet-mn0000800475) • [8](https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/eric-benet) |
| Genre | R&B; adult contemporary R&B and contemporary R&B[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/benet-mn0000800475) |
| Breakthrough | *A Day in the Life* (1999), a gold-certified album featuring the Tamia duet "Spend My Life with You"[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/benet-mn0000800475) |
| Grammy nominations | Four nominations, including Best R&B Album for *Love & Life* and Best Traditional R&B Performance for "Sometimes I Cry"[2](https://news.theurbanmusicscene.com/2026/06/eric-benet-releases-new-track-whos-gonna-save-us/) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eric-ben%C3%A9t-mn0000800475) |
| Label | JBR Creative Group, co-founded with Alison Ball[4](https://ericbenet.net/about/) |
| Recent albums | *The Co-Star* (2025), a duets album, and *It's Christmas* (2025)[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eric-ben%C3%A9t-mn0000800475) • [5](https://blackamericaweb.com/2025/11/07/eric-benet-interview-its-christmas-album-authentic-legacy-losing-dangelo/) |
| Acting | Recurring role on the sitcom *For Your Love*; films include *Glitter* (2001) and *Trinity Goodheart*[6](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621248887) |
## Early career
Benét grew up in Milwaukee in a musical family and began performing in the late 1980s with the local pop/rock band Gerard. He then formed the group Benét with his sister Lisa and cousin George Nash Jr.; the trio signed with EMI and released a self-titled album in 1992. Corporate restructuring at EMI left the group without a label shortly afterward[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eric-ben%C3%A9t-mn0000800475).
A demo attracted a solo deal with Warner Bros., and his debut solo album, *True to Myself*, appeared in 1996. It included the R&B hits "Spiritual Thang," "Femininity," and "Let's Stay Together"[4](https://ericbenet.net/about/).
## Breakthrough and 2000s
His second album, *A Day in the Life* (1999), went gold and reached number 25 on the Billboard 200. The Tamia duet "Spend My Life with You" topped Billboard's R&B/hip-hop chart, reached the pop [Top 40](https://www.edgepedia.org/top-40), and earned Benét his first Grammy nomination, in the category Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/benet-mn0000800475) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eric-ben%C3%A9t-mn0000800475). The song also won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Song in 2000[4](https://ericbenet.net/about/).
After Warner Bros. shelved a third album over stylistic disagreements, Benét returned in 2005 with *Hurricane*, made in part with producer [David Foster](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-foster)[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eric-ben%C3%A9t-mn0000800475) • [4](https://ericbenet.net/about/). A productive stretch followed: *Love & Life* (2008), *Lost in Time* (2010), and *The One* (2012) each reached the Top Ten of the R&B/hip-hop album chart. *Love & Life* was nominated for Best R&B Album, "You're the Only One" for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, and the falsetto showcase "Sometimes I Cry" for Best Traditional R&B Performance[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eric-ben%C3%A9t-mn0000800475).
## Later work and JBR Creative Group
Benét's later recordings include the soft rock covers album *From E to U, Vol. 1* (2014), released in Asian markets, a self-titled funkier LP (2016), and *The Co-Star* (2025), his ninth album, on which he duets with an all-woman cast including [Tamar Braxton](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamar-braxton), India.Arie, Corinne Bailey Rae, and Alex Isley[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eric-ben%C3%A9t-mn0000800475). He has co-produced all of his albums[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/benet-mn0000800475).
With EMI executive Alison Ball he founded the independent label JBR Creative Group, which aims to support emerging artists and legacy acts through what the label describes as innovative technology[4](https://ericbenet.net/about/). In 2026 he launched a Facebook subscription "Inner Circle" with exclusive series including "The CoStar Podcast" and the behind-the-scenes web series "Breaking The Artist," which follows his running of the label[7](https://ericbenet.net/eric-benet-launches-facebook-subscription-inner-circle-debuts-new-exclusive-series-full-episodes/).
In June 2026 he released the single "Who's Gonna Save Us?" through JBR Creative Group, accompanied by a lyric video, and toured through the year with dates in Newark, Toledo, Columbia, Mableton, Las Vegas, and Seattle, among other cities[2](https://news.theurbanmusicscene.com/2026/06/eric-benet-releases-new-track-whos-gonna-save-us/).
## Acting and personal life
Benét has acted alongside his music career, with a recurring role on the sitcom *For Your Love* and appearances in *Glitter* (2001) with [Mariah Carey](https://www.edgepedia.org/mariah-carey), *Trinity Goodheart*, and *Greed: A Seven Deadly Sins Story* (2022)[6](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621248887). He married actress [Halle Berry](https://www.edgepedia.org/halle-berry) in 2001 and the marriage ended in divorce that same year[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eric-ben%C3%A9t-mn0000800475). His daughter India was born in 1992; her mother, his long-term girlfriend, died in a car accident in 1993[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eric-ben%C3%A9t-mn0000800475).
## References
1. [Eric Benét – Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/benet-mn0000800475)
2. [Eric Benét Releases New Track "Who's Gonna Save Us?", The Urban Music Scene](https://news.theurbanmusicscene.com/2026/06/eric-benet-releases-new-track-whos-gonna-save-us/)
3. [Eric Benét – Biography, AllMusic (full biography page)](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eric-ben%C3%A9t-mn0000800475)
4. [About | Eric Benét](https://ericbenet.net/about/)
5. [Exclusive: Eric Benét Talks Christmas LP, Legacy & D'Angelo, BlackAmericaWeb](https://blackamericaweb.com/2025/11/07/eric-benet-interview-its-christmas-album-authentic-legacy-losing-dangelo/)
6. [Eric Benét – Movies, TV Shows, Music, and Podcasts, Apple Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621248887)
7. [Eric Benét Launches Facebook Subscription "Inner Circle", EricBenet.net](https://ericbenet.net/eric-benet-launches-facebook-subscription-inner-circle-debuts-new-exclusive-series-full-episodes/)
8. [Eric Benét, thehistorymakers.org](https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/eric-benet)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › R&B singers, 1990s and 2000s › R&B singers of the 1990s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license