Eric Benét credits habits and integrity for longevity

Eric Benét has been at it for a long time. His music career spans five decades, dating back to the formation of his first group, Gerard, in the late 1980s. Since then, he has released eight albums and has been nominated for four Grammy Awards. Additionally, he embarked on an acting career in the 1990s.

And still, he continues to operate at a very high level.

He says it all goes back to advice his mother gave him – advice he still lives by today. Taking care of himself, she said, was paramount to longevity.

 “She said if you take care of yourself, watch what you eat, don’t go out and party after every show and try to live right…30, 40 years from now, you might sound even better than you do now,” he said during a recent telephone interview. “And I honestly feel like I’m singing better than I ever have in my life.”

Benét’s training started when he dropped out of college and started a band. That, he said, turned out to be his version of college. That experience taught him what makes a hit song a hit song, how to win over an audience, and how to sustain his voice. He also learned what not to do, as he tried to keep up with partying bandmates in his 20s. He quickly learned how that affected his voice and performance when recording and on stage. It was a valuable lesson for a man who would go on to entertain fans for the next 40 years.

Over the span of his career, there have been a lot of changes in the music business and musical trends. It’s the nature of music. Benét said that although he respects the technological advances in recording and can appreciate the market for an auto-tuned track, he chooses to remain true to his original model: laying down raw, honest, vulnerable vocals with live instruments. He says that, regardless of genre, live musicians allow for beautiful imperfections that create the music feel with your soul.

 “I feel that people want authenticity, they want realness,” he said. “I think that’s something that I’ve consistently tried to make sure is paramount in my songwriting and my production.”

Benét says his current project weaves between different genres but maintains what he refers to as human consistency. His goal, to put together a collection of songs that transcends the changing trends in modern music. He believes this is the secret to a long career.

“Be daring, be authentic, be vulnerable - but be real,” he said.

Eric Benét is currently on tour with Joe and Musiq Soulchild, singers who he says that he still enjoys watching from the side of the stage every night. They will take the stage at the Bell Auditorium on Saturday, April 5.

WHAT: The R&B Invitation Tour, featuring Eric Benét, Joe, and Musiq Soulchild

WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, April 5. Doors at 7 p.m.

WHERE: Bell Auditorium, 712 Telfair Street

COST: $73 - $129. augustaentertainmentcomplex.com