A male singer who covers Kate Perry's naughty hit I Kissed A Girl, must at the very least have a sense of humor. But Ben l'Oncle Soul has much, much more: a fine voice, a good sense for putting on a show and a whole lot of soul. The Frenchman, born in 1984 as Benjamin Duterde, grew up listening to the albums of Ray Charles, Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye. He formed a soul band with friends and uploaded several numbers onto the Internet. His phenomenal cover version of the White Stripes number Seven Nation Army attracted the attention of Motown, and led to a recording contract. After the EP Soulwash, with covers of recent pop hits, last year he released his first Motown studio album: Ben L'Oncle Soul. On the album, he sings his own compositions - party numbers and sensitive ballads - in both English and French. Recently, Ben swept the audience off its feet at a sold-out performance in Paradiso. Now it's on at the North Sea Jazz Festival.
