Eric Benét has announced his new EP, Duets, will release Aug. 23 via his label JBR Creative Group.
The five-track set is preceded by “Something We Can Make Love To” with Tamar Braxton. The bedroom jam was produced by Laney Stewart.
In an interview with Rated R&B, Benét shared how Laney’s brother, producer Tricky Stewart, connected the dots to make the collaboration happen.
“We went to Atlanta and hung out with Tricky and Laney Stewart. Laney presented this song to us. We thought it was perfect,” Benét told Rated R&B.
“Tricky hit up Tamar and said, ‘Yo, you gotta get on this joint.’ Tamar heard the track and absolutely loved it. She sounds incredible on it.”
While Benét and Braxton didn’t record the song together in the studio, he said Tricky Stewart kept him up to speed on the song’s progress.
“The song, as I understand it, wasn’t conceived as a duet. It was conceived as a guy singing about a girl who he’s trying to get with. Tricky presented the idea to Tamar, and then lyrically, they made it a duet situation,” Benét shared.
“I was not in the studio when she laid her vocal down, but Tricky was texting me, giving me the play-by-play. Like, ‘Yo, she sounds crazy on this sh*t. I can’t wait for you to hear it.’ As soon as I heard a vocal, I was incredibly moved.”
Duets also features songs with previously teased collaborators Chanté Moore and Corinne Bailey Rae.
While Duets is only an EP, the Grammy-nominated singer confirmed to Rated R&B that a full-length album version is slated to arrive in early 2025. “We wrote so many songs that we’re going to come out with an album of 10 other songs, most likely at the top of the year,” he noted.
Duets is Benét’s first project release since his 2016 self-titled album. The album featured the lead single “Sunshine,” which received a remix featuring Tamia, and the Prince-inspired single “Insane.”
See Eric Benét’s Duets EP tracklist below.
Eric Benét Duets EP Tracklist
1. “So Distracted” with Chanté Moore
2. “Something We Can Make Love To” with Tamar Braxton
3. “Right Time” with Ledisi
4. “Work It Out” with LaTocha
5. “Fly Away” with Corinne Bailey Rae
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