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Just a few years ago, singer Eric Benet was the bad side of a celebrity headline, as he and his former wife, actress Halle Berry, went through a difficult divorce that left him branded as a sex addict.

Fortunately, life moves on. In Benet’s case, he moved on with Manuela Testolini, one of the few other people who could identify with a marriage to a superstar gone wrong. Benet and Testolini, who used to be married to Prince, are having their first baby this month. His daughter India, 20, who was adopted by Berry, is now in college.

“Back then when India came, it was joyous and loving, but I was also scared,” Benet told S2Smagazine.com. “I didn’t know what to expect, and I was a single father. Fast forward to 19 years later, and the fear is gone. Looking back now, I know that I have nothing to look forward to but joy, love and all the gifts that a child can bring. So I’m excited.”

Benet’s got another production on the way – he’s releasing his seventh studio album on his own new label, Jordan House, next spring. It’s his chance to further develop his own career. He’s even up for a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Sometimes I Cry,” and his latest single, “Real Love,” is climbing up the charts.

“I just decided to go into the studio right away and pick the song that was classic Eric Benet, in the sense of how it sounded, and in the sense of it was very personal and intimate kinda looking into my life,” Benet told YouKnowIGotSoul.com. “I just kinda went into the studio and wrote ‘Real Love’ with my cousin, George. The plan was to just release the song and let it do its thing on radio while I go into the studio and make the rest of the record. So far, the plan has gone beautifully. People are really feeling the single, I’ve got an amazing start on this album, which definitely feels like the best work I’ve ever done in my life or previously.”