Benjamin Clementine

Benjamin Sainte-Clémentine, known professionally as Benjamin Clementine, is a British musician, composer, and actor. Born in London on December 7, 1988, he spent his upbringing in the Edmonton area. The youngest of five children born to parents of Ghanaian heritage, he was initially raised by his strict Roman Catholic grandmother before returning to live with his parents following her passing.

At the age of eleven, Clementine began teaching himself to play the piano after his family acquired one. Despite his father forbidding him from playing music in hopes he would pursue law, Clementine secretly practiced classical compositions by Erik Satie and Claude Debussy learned from listening to the radio. Following a family conflict, he left school at sixteen and experienced homelessness in Camden Town before relocating to Paris at age nineteen.

In Paris, Clementine spent several years living on the streets, busking, and playing instruments in local bars and hotels. He eventually gained a cult following in the Parisian music scene and was discovered by an agent who introduced him to his first manager. In 2012, after meeting French businessman Lionel Bensemoun at the Cannes Film Festival, the pair established the record label Behind to release Clementine's music. His performances at major French venues and festivals subsequently led to a joint licensing deal with Capitol, Virgin EMI, and Barclay.

Clementine released his debut extended play, Cornerstone, in June 2013. Later that year, he performed its title track on the BBC television show Later... with Jools Holland, gaining significant critical attention and praise from musician Paul McCartney. He embarked on European festival tours, although financial hardship notably forced him to miss his scheduled 2013 appearance at the North Sea Jazz Festival when he attempted to walk 45 kilometers barefoot after failing to secure train fare.

His debut studio album, At Least for Now, was released in January 2015 to critical acclaim and reached the top ten on iTunes charts across multiple European nations. The release earned Clementine the 2015 Mercury Prize. In February 2019, the French government named him a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in recognition of his artistic contributions.

Clementine expanded his musical scope with his second studio album, I Tell a Fly, released in 2017. The project was influenced by his reading of psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott regarding childhood trauma and bullying, as well as a phrasing on his American visa describing him as an alien of extraordinary abilities. His third album, And I Have Been, was recorded primarily in Ojai, California, and London during 2020 before its release in October 2022. Clementine wrote and produced the project himself, later indicating plans for a second part and a potential retirement from music to pursue other interests.

As a self-taught spinto tenor and multi-instrumentalist, Clementine is recognized for combining expressive vocal dynamics, piano accompaniment, and literary influences drawn from classical composers, poet-singers, and confessional poets. He is also noted for his distinct stage presence, frequently performing barefoot and shirtless while wearing a long trench coat.