Home is anywhere you find Ben L’Oncle Soul.
Whether in the studio or on stage surrounded by fans, music is where the multi-platinum French soul star feels most at ease. He channels that warmth into his irresistible new single, “I GOT HOME,” which he describes as his “ode to joy.”
Produced by Danny Van ‘T Hoff (Smino, Earthgang) and Bastien Cabezon, the track captures the exhilaration Ben feels on stage as his soulful vocals groove along a retro R&B bassline and gospel-inspired harmonies.
On the latest episode of ECHO – The Podcast, we sat down with Ben to chat about “I GOT HOME,” his forthcoming seventh studio album Sad Generation (via Enchanté/Believe), and more!
Excerpt from the podcast:
ECHO: I was reading that the song [“I Got Home”] started out with just the drum line, or the drum pattern. How did you take it from those drums, and that percussion into that full song?
BEN: The bass, actually. And then we twisted it—we decided to put the drum first. But when we were in the studio composing, Bastien was just like… I remember we were listening to—what is it called again? That record, it was a live version of… It’s not Rosetta Tharpe, but it’s like a classic gospel family. Damn, I can’t remember now.
And so we were heading to the studio, and we were kind of lost at this point because that was the first session we were playing together, actually, with Bastien. First met, in a way—first meeting—and we were together in the studio. We did a couple of beats, like, funny but not really feeling it—stuff like Timbaland or early Pharrell Williams. It wasn’t really soul music, but we were just having fun, messing around, and stuff.
Then we took a little break, went to eat something, and when we got back to the studio, he did that line—that bass line. I was like, this is my house right there. I almost jumped out of my chair and started dancing. We didn’t even take the time to properly set up the microphones and stuff. I remember just holding the microphone while he was playing drums like crazy [mimics drums].
ECHO: That bass and that drum at the beginning, because that’s how the song starts out, it immediately hooks you in.
BEN: Exactly, exactly. Bastien decided to start with the drum. He said, I think it’s even stronger to start with the drum. And I was like, let’s do that, let’s do that.
ECHO: What is the story behind “I Got Home”?
BEN: Soul, jazz, blues, funk, whatever it is, it’s about sharing it on stage – and jumping on stage making people dance and having fun. And when I jump on stage, I feel home, you know? It’s my home. It’s my home because it expresses another part of myself. People know me as a quiet, funny guy and stuff, but on stage it’s something else. It’s way more intense and spiritual. I feel really connected with people.
Listen to the full episode here.
To stay connected with Ben L’Oncle Soul, visit https://www.instagram.com/benlonclesoul/
For tickets to his upcoming tour, visit https://benlonclesoul.fr/
Featured Photo Credit: Guillaume Landry