Soul Addict establishes itself as the go-to UrbanSoul webzine for individuals aged 18-45, covering the latest news about RnB, Soul, and urban pop artists. Its creator, Eddy Laurier, reveals more during an interview.
In 2010, Planet-Soul, which later became Soul Addict, launched its blog, regularly covering RnB-Soul news. At the beginning of 2012, Soul Addict evolved, refining its identity with new sections and a clearer graphic design. Becoming an essential webzine for those aged 18-45, it offers comprehensive coverage of RnB, Soul, and urban pop artists with news, interviews, videos, top 5, feature stories, and additional content like an events calendar, contests, playlists, and the Soul Addict Radio web radio. With over 15,000 articles published, Soul Addict highlights current stars and young talents from the Urban-Soul scene.
What does your site consist of?
“The site is about gathering all the news on RnB, soul, and urban pop. But on the other hand, to refresh history and show that we’re keeping up with the times, we sometimes talk about rap. I call this ‘RapnB’, with artists like Tiakola and Gazo who manage to combine the two. Initially, it was just a small blog where I posted my current favorites. Gradually, it started to gain traction. Today, the story is beautiful! We are the go-to site for RnB, Soul, and urban pop in France.”
How does Soul Addict differentiate itself from other sites of the same kind?
“Firstly, we set up Soul Addict Radio. Originally, I come from this profession, having worked at Fun Radio for almost 10 years, and now at Kiss FM, so it’s a job I know well. The idea of linking a radio to the site came naturally. We play 90% Soul, RnB, and Urban Pop. It’s a service we want to provide to listeners. On the other hand, it’s true that today there aren’t many RnB sites left, and those that existed are almost dead. However, there are still influencers doing work similar to ours. Our real difference lies in the artists we can showcase. Three or four times a week, we try to present new talents who haven’t yet signed with a record label.”
How can young artists apply to be featured on this radio?
“Today, we receive a lot of requests for articles. There’s a contact form on the site intended for this purpose. Additionally, we provide the email addresses of each journalist to ensure a more suitable response depending on the request. We also use an app called Groover. This allows new artists to get feedback from different media outlets like ours. Moreover, we are paid 1 euro each time we provide feedback to an artist, which helps monetize the site, even though it has been profitable for a few years now.”
How is the team behind the site structured?
“The site is divided into two parts. The first one focuses on Soul Culture, where we talk about music videos, album releases, and concerts. The second one, Urban Culture, covers artists in fashion, sports, cinema, or series. We have two journalists responsible for these two sections, along with my partner Hanazade Mradabi, who is more focused on the writing. Additionally, we have two other journalists in Paris who can attend major concerts directly. The goal is really to be complementary.”
