Released earlier this year, I Tell a Fly, Clementine’s sophomore album, sees the artist exploring new musical territory on the heels of his acclaimed debut. He found himself particularly drawn to the literature of the Bible as well as poetry, including the works of William Blake, T. Having endured bullying at school, he was mischievous as a child, but his rebellion was seldom predictable, often involving furtive time spent in the library. The youngest of five children, Clementine was raised by his Roman Catholic grandmother, and after she passed away, his parents. The lonely despair of Cornerstone and the arresting lyricism of Condolence signalling an exciting new talent.”įrom and early age, the artist sought out rarely used and archaic words, endeavouring to integrate them into his vocabulary. But for the most part these piano-led songs sound unique. Clementine cites Anohni as a formative influence, and certainly there are vocal similarities. Phil Mongredien of The Guardian said of Clementine’s debut, “The album is bold, brave, beautiful, and at times quite brilliant. He won the Mercury Prize in 2015 for his debut album At Least for Now, and came back to live in Edmonton, north London, where he was born.
Breaking free from traditional song structure, Clementine has developed his own theatrical and innovative musical terrain.
Considered by The New York Times as one of the 28 geniuses who defined culture in 2016, Clementine’s compositions are musically incisive and attuned to the issues of life but also poetic, mixing revolt with love and melancholy, sophisticated lyricism with slang and shouts, and rhyming verse with prose. The same year, critics dubbed Clementine as one of the great singer-songwriters of his generation and the future sound of London, struggling to place his musical offering within a single existing genre.
Moving back to London to work on his first album, he made his TV debut on the BBC programme Later With Jools Holland in 2013. His distinctive performances at Parisian bars and clubs grew is profile, helping him become somewhat of a cult figure in the city’s underground music and art scene.
As a teenager, he relocated to Paris to pursue a career in music, becoming homeless for a period whilst busking in the Métro. While Clementine has developed a reputation of being reserved and private, his lyrics are often autobiographical and flagrantly personal. British artist, composer, musician and poet, Benjamin Clementine was born and raised in London.