Ant Clemons

Emerging without identification on Kanye West's 2018 track "All Mine," the contemporary R&B performer Ant Clemons quickly established himself as a versatile session vocalist and songwriter whose contributions reached Beyoncé and Skrillex on multiple Grammy-nominated projects. His own profile rose further when the 2020 debut solo EP Happy 2 Be Here earned a nomination for Best R&B Album. After issuing the 2020 single "Better Days" alongside Justin Timberlake, Clemons expanded the same EP the following year as Happy 2 Be Here (Anniversary Edition), appending the new song "June 1st."

A New Jersey native, Clemons began commuting regularly to Los Angeles in 2016 with the goal of breaking into songwriting. An introduction to Ryan Toby, the former City High member who had previously co-written hits for Will Smith and Justin Bieber, yielded a co-writing placement the next year on Luke James' "Drip." Around the same time, Clemons formed a close creative partnership with writer-producer Uforo "Bongo" Ebong; a demo they cut with Jeremih evolved into West's "All Mine," where Clemons supplied the uncredited falsetto and received a co-writing credit. The single climbed to number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 by June 2018 and achieved platinum status three months later. West also enlisted him for Teyana Taylor's K.T.S.E.

Demand surged, leading Clemons to co-write and supply background vocals for YBN Cordae's The Lost Boy, Beyoncé's The Lion King: The Gift, and Skrillex's "Midnight Hour." While balancing further work with West and other rap and R&B artists, Clemons launched his solo career in October 2019 with the Timbaland-co-produced single "4 Letter Word" and appeared again on West's chart-topping Jesus Is King. Once Grammy nominations were announced for YBN Cordae, Beyoncé, and Skrillex, Clemons released the Ty Dolla $ign-assisted "Excited," followed shortly by "Beep." Both tracks joined earlier material on the eight-song collection Happy 2 Be Here, issued in February 2020 and featuring the additional Pharrell Williams collaboration "Aladdin." Clemons then paired with Justin Timberlake for the uplifting "Better Days." Three years after his initial breakthrough on "All Mine," he marked the occasion by issuing Happy 2 Be Here (Anniversary Edition), which included the newly added track "June 1st."