Man from nowhere: Who is Benjamin Clementine?

He's an incredibly inspiring artist.

This new generation genius, whose music is almost unanimous with the authorities, won the Mercury Award in 2015 with his debut album At Least For Now.

Composer of terrific ballads in which love, melancholy, and rebellion find their voice...

While continuing to follow in the footsteps of Nina Simone, one of his three heroes with Nick Cave and Tom Waits, he once again proved the shocking effect of his music with his second album, I Tell A Fly, released in 2017. Benjamin Clementine has a theatrical scene where literature and music merge into one and captivate the audience.

WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT:

Songwriting - “Clementine is today's musical George Orwell” (Ann Powers, NPR)

His music – “as sincere as Anthony Hegarty, as passionate as Aretha Franklin, as deep as Edith Piaf and as sensitive as Nina Simone” (The Independent)

Influence - Named one of 28 creative geniuses who defined culture in 2016 (The New York Times)

Style - Selected as one of the “50 Most Stylish People” by the Financial Times in 2015.

CHILDHOOD

He was born in London in 1988 as the youngest of 5 siblings. He was raised by his devout paternal grandmother. His interest in literature began at a young age. He would run away from school and go to the library. He liked to find very old and rarely used words from dictionaries and philosophy books and add them to his speech. He started playing his brother's piano at the age of 11. Although his father, who wanted him to be a lawyer, forbade him from playing music, he continued to play in secret.

Benjamin Sainte-Clémentine (born 7 December 1988) is a British composer, musician and actor. Born and raised in London, England, Clementine later moved to Paris, France, where he experienced homelessness for a time. After moving back to London, he released his debut album At Least for Now, which won the 2015 Mercury Prize. In February 2019 he was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government, in recognition of his contribution to the arts.

THE STREETS AND PARIS

At the age of 16, Benjamin, who failed all his exams (except for literature), dropped out of school and broke up with his family during this period. He left home, living on the streets of Camden Town, London, in psychological and financial difficulties.

At the age of 19, he went to Paris with a sudden decision. He stayed in a 10-person bachelor's room in Montemarte. He spent his days making music and raising money on the streets, on trains, and whenever he could, in hotels and bars. A few years later, after getting a broken guitar and a cheap keyboard, he started writing lyrics and composing his own. He was fascinated by the deep lyrics of French artists and decided to write his songs about what had happened to him. After living like this for 4 years, he caught the attention of a music manager, then a famous businessman in 2012, and they formed a record label to record Clementin's music. After that, Benjamin Clementine began to attract the attention of the press and major record companies.

ALBUMS

His first short album, Cornerstone, was released in June 2013. In the same year, he appeared on the music show of Jools Holland on BBC television. This program was highly appreciated, and Paul McCartney's words about continuing to play in the same program also encouraged Clementine. Acclaimed by music critics and described as "the most promising new talent of 2014", the artist rose to prominence during this period and began performing and touring in famous venues.

His debut studio album At Least for Now, released in January 2015, quickly topped the charts in Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, and Greece. It hit the top ten on iTunes. He subsequently won the prestigious Mercury Music Award in the UK. The album was described by the phrase "Like Nina Simone singing Leonard Cohen songs".

Clémentine, who was also bullied at school, dedicated his album I Tell A Fly, which he released in 2017, to the suffering of children. He also wrote the song Phantom Of Aleppoville in the album for the children in Aleppo. Clementine's impressive voice, who can play many musical instruments and is a spinto tenor, has also been compared to artists such as Nina Simone and Rufus Wainwright. The name that defines himself as an 'expressionist'; he states that he honestly sings whatever he thinks and feels in his songs.

The young generation name has also collaborated with many musicians. Gorillaz band teamed up with Benjamin Clémentine for the 2017 track Hallelujah Money. The artist interpreted Nick Drake's cult song River Man. Later, he met many poet-singer artists like himself in Paris and recorded the song You've Got To Learn with Charles Aznavour, who added a career to his career.

FASHION AND IMAGE

Benjamin Clementine, who usually goes on stage dressed in black or with long overcoats, draws attention with his impressive androgynous appearance and tall stature. In 2015, he was named among the “50 most stylish men” by the Financial Times. Clementine's song "I Won't Complain", which sang 3 songs live at the Burberry fashion show in 2014, sang the commercial of the same brand, shot by Steve McQueen.