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Eric Benét, (born Eric Benét Jordan on October 15, 1966) is an American singer. His duet with Tamia, "Spend My Life With You" was a number one song for three weeks on the US Billboard R&B chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2000.
Benét was his mother's maiden name, and he was born in Mobile, Alabama and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is the youngest of five siblings.
Benét sang with a Top 100-style group called Gerard in the late 1980s. Benét, his sister Lisa, and his cousin George Nash Jr. formed a band called Benét and released a self-titled album in 1992, but it only sold 100,000 copies.
Benét's career, however, was interrupted by a series of personal tragedies. His father died of cancer. His girlfriend Tami Marie Stauff died on 29 April 1993 from injuries suffered in an automobile accident; their daughter, India, was born in 1991.
From 2001 to 2005, he was married to Halle Berry. On 31 July 2011, he married Prince's ex-wife, Manuela Testolini, who is pregnant with their first child.
In 1994, Benét signed with Warner Bros. Records, releasing his solo debut album, True to Myself, in 1996. Individual songs from the album were successful, including the top-ten R&B hits "Spiritual Thang", "Femininity" and "Let's Stay Together," which appeared on the soundtrack of the film A Thin Line Between Love and Hate.
In between albums, Eric collaborated with Something For The People on their 1997 album "This Time It's Personal" singing leads on the single "Act Like You Want It". His next album, A Day in the Life, was released in 1999. Its first single, "Georgy Porgy (featuring Faith Evans)" received significant airplay, but the second single, "Spend My Life With You (featuring Tamia)", became a smash hit. "Spend My Life With You" rose to number one on the American R&B charts, was certified gold, and nominated for a 2000 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group. The album, A Day in the Life also won a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Album, Male.
Benét also recorded for Earth, Wind, and Fire's 30th anniversary CD. He contributed vocals to the post-Katrina charity single, "Heart of America" along with Michael McDonald, Wynonna Judd, and Terry Dexter. He has also lent his vocals to many jazz albums for such artists as Wayman Tisdale, George Duke, Chris Botti, Jeff Lorber, Boney James, etc.
Benét recorded his following album Better and Better in 2001, but Warner Bros. rejected to release this album and forced him to stay in R&B genre. Due to the controversy about music style and creative freedom, Benét changed to Reprise-distributed label Friday Records and recorded next album, Hurricane. Hurricane was his third studio album released on June 21, 2005 in the US. "I Wanna Be Loved" was the song that received the most airplay. The single reached No. 2 on the Urban Adult Contemporary chart.
His fourth album Love & Life was released on September 9, 2008. This album debuted at No. 11 on Billboard 200 and No. 2 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, making his own highest peak position since A Day in the Life in 1999. The first single "You're The Only One" is also his first top twenty hit on the R&B chart in two years.
Lost in Time was Benét's fifth studio album which was released in the US on November 30, 2010. The first single "Sometimes I Cry" reached No. 1 on the Hot Adult R&B Songs Chart. With its musical direction representing Benet's homage to the sweet soul sound of the early to mid 1970s, the album featured duets with Faith Evans; Chrisette Michelle; Ledisi; and Eddie Levert of The O'Jays.
Benét has also been active as an actor; he had a recurring role on the television program For Your Love (1998–2002). He made his film debut alongside Mariah Carey in Glitter (2001). He has a recurring role on the MTV scripted show "Kaya" (2007) where he plays a music producer. Benet appeared on Half & Half in which he portrayed Reece Wilcox in 2005.
His second feature film role "Trinity Goodheart" premiered at the American Black Film Festival on July 9th, 2011 and is set to premiere on GMC on August 20th, 2011.
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