Benjamin Clementine

Benjamin Clementine, who works as a pianist, vocalist, and composer, came from a London household devoid of musical activity. Entirely self-directed in his development, he drew early motivation from a broadcast by Antony & the Johnsons that coincided with his initial exposure to Erik Satie’s compositions. Before turning twenty, he left England’s capital for Paris, sustaining himself through street performances. An agent who encountered him arranged an introduction to the individual who would later serve as his manager. A set delivered in Cannes attracted the interest of an entrepreneur, prompting the pair to launch the Behind imprint. His first recordings appeared in 2013 as the three-song EP Cornerstone, whose spare, literary piano-and-voice pieces evoked Antony Hegarty alongside Nina Simone. A slot on BBC Two’s Later...with Jools Holland broadened his visibility considerably.

The following year brought the second EP Glorious You, supported by restrained bass, drums, and strings. After signing with Barclay in France and Virgin EMI in the United Kingdom, he issued his full-length debut, At Least for Now, in 2015. The album earned him the Mercury Prize, an honor he dedicated to those lost in that year’s Paris attacks. Early in 2017 he joined Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett’s art-pop project Gorillaz on “Hallelujah Money,” the opening single from their fourth album, Humanz. Later that summer he unveiled the striking “Phantom of Allepoville,” the initial release previewing his next record. His expansive, self-produced second album, I Tell a Fly, followed in September.