Ben l'Oncle Soul
Benjamin Duterde (French pronunciation: [bɛ̃ʒamɛ̃ dytɛʁd]; born 10 November 1984), better known by his stage name Ben l'Oncle Soul (French: [bɛn l‿ɔ̃klə sul], literally Ben the Uncle 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.
Ben l'Oncle Soul | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Benjamin Duterde |
| Also known as | L'Oncle Ben |
| Born | 10 November 1984 Tours, France |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Motown, Blue Note, Decca |
| Website | benlonclesoul.com |
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.[1] 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.[2] His eponymous debut album, Ben l'Oncle Soul, was released by Motown Records in 2010.[2]
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 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, 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.[3]
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak positions | Certification | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEL Wa [4] |
FR [5] |
GER | NED [6] |
SWI [7] | |||
| 2010 | Ben l'Oncle Soul | 11 | 4 | 81 | 12 | 37 | France: 3× Platinum |
| 2014 | À coup de rêves | 14 | 7 | — | 50 | 21 | |
| 2016 | Under My Skin | 154 | 60 [8] |
— | — | — | |
| 2020 | Addicted to You | — | 140 [9] |
— | — | — | |
EPs
- 2009: Soul Wash: Lesson 1
- 2019: Ben
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEL Vl |
BEL Wa [4] |
FR [5] |
GER | NED [6] |
SWI [7] | |||
| 2010 | "Seven Nation Army" | — | 16 | — | 51 | 57 | 54 | Ben l'Oncle Soul |
| "Soulman" | — | 16 | 14 | — | 39 | 63 | ||
| 2011 | "Petite sœur" | — | 40 | 54 | — | — | — | |
| "Elle me dit" | — | 31* (Ultratip) |
— | — | — | — | ||
| 2013 | "Hallelujah!!! (J'ai tant besoin de toi)" | 22* (Ultratip) |
33* (Ultratip) |
68 | — | — | — | À coup de rêves |
| "Être un homme comme vous" | — | — | 94 | — | — | — | We Love Disney | |
| 2014–15 | "You Got My Back" | — | — | 75 | — | — | — | À coup de rêves |
| "Ailleurs" | — | — | 67 | — | — | — | ||
| "So Hard to Find" | — | — | 53 | — | — | — | ||
| "À coup de rêves" | — | — | 40 | — | — | — | ||
| 2017 | "Strangers In The Night" | — | — | — | — | — | — | non-album single |
| 2019 | "Next To You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Ben |
| "I Don't Wanna Go" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Ben & Addicted To You | |
| 2020 | "Next To You" featuring Yuna | — | — | — | — | — | — | Addicted To You |
| "All My Life" featuring Iam | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
*Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but rather in the bubbling under Ultratip charts.
Features
| Year | Single | Charts | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR [5] | |||
| 2010 | "À mi-chemin" (Hocus Pocus featuring Akhenaton and Ben l'Oncle Soul) |
70 | |
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
- 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[10]
References
- Birchmeier, Jason. "Ben l'Oncle Soul biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- Basque, Ludovic (22 June 2010). "Le casse de Ben l'Oncle Soul". Radio France Internationale. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- "Ben l'Oncle Soul". Discogs. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ultratop.be: Ben l'Oncle Soul discography
- LesCharts.com: Ben l'Oncle Soul discography
- LesCharts.com: Ben l'Oncle Soul discography Archived 19 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- Hitparade.ch Ben l'Oncle Soul discography Archived 12 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 45, 2016)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- "Top Albums (Week 14, 2020)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- "European Border Breakers Award" Archived 6 July 2012 at WebCite, Etep.nl. Retrieved 20 February 2012
