Benjamin Duterde (French pronunciation: [bɛ̃ʒamɛ̃ dytɛʁd]; born 10 November 1984), better known by his stage name Ben l'Oncle Soul (French: [bɛn lɔ̃klə sul], lit. 'Ben the Soul Uncle'), 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
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Ben l'Oncle Soul performing live at Festival du Bout du Monde in 2014.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Benjamin Duterde |
| Also known as | L'Oncle Ben |
| Born | (1984-11-10) 10 November 1984 (age 39) Chambray-lès-Tours, Centre, France |
| Genres |
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| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Motown, Blue Note, Decca |
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.[2] 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.[3] His eponymous debut album, Ben l'Oncle Soul, was released by Motown Records in 2010.[3]
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.[4]
| Year | Album details | Peak positions | Certification | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEL Wa [5] |
FR [6] |
GER | NED [7] |
SWI [8] | |||
| 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 [9] |
— | — | — | |
| 2020 | Addicted to You | — | 140 [10] |
— | — | — | |
| 2022 | Red Mango | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Year | Album details | Peak positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BEL Wa [5] |
FR [6] | ||
| 2011 | Live Paris | 25 | 32 |
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEL Vl |
BEL Wa [5] |
FR [6] |
GER | NED [7] |
SWI [8] | |||
| 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 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022 | "Stay" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Red Mango |
| "Imagine" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Levitate" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Is it You? | |
| "Sky has open Doors" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023 | "A Rose..." | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
*Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but rather in the bubbling under Ultratip charts.
| Year | Single | Charts | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR [6] | |||
| 2010 | "À mi-chemin" (Hocus Pocus featuring Akhenaton and Ben l'Oncle Soul) |
70 |