Faces: Benjamin Clementine
19:13:00
Benjamin Sainte-Clémentine, is a poet and singer from London, known for his unorthodox style, Clementine has been named one of the most influential people in Britain, his music has been described as genre-less and enchanting. His voice is warm and graceful with a wide range of deep notes, his songs are in a strange way perfectly imperfect, in a way that you are unable to explain why you like it so much, at the very first moment of Condolence I got trapped into the music, always intrigued about what was coming next.
"Expressive but exact enunciation of a stage actor, which allows his lyrics to spill and scatter out of sync with his hands in a way which warrants the endless Nina Simone comparisons." -Calum Bradbury-Sparvell
Born and raised in London, Benjamin Clementine was the youngest of five, he was raised by his grandmother until her death when he moved with his parents, being mistreated at school, Benjamin would usually spend all day in the library instead of going to school, he was drawn to the literature of the Bible as well as the writings of various poets, from a young age he sought to expand his vocabulary with uncommon and archaic words.
When he was just 11, his brother Joseph got a piano that Benjamin would play after Joseph's practises, once his brother got bored of it, Benjamin had more time with the piano for himself, he didn't know how to read music so he would learn songs just by listening to them and with time became highly skilled.
As a teenager, Clementine moved to Paris and became homeless, there he would play at bars for some cash. He started to write songs during daytime and played at night, after a while he decided he had to write his experiences into those songs and with time he became a cult figure in the Parisian music scene.
Benjamin Clementine's writing style has been widely inspired by writers like William Blake, confessional poets like Sylvia Plath and the philosopher C.S. Lewis, he was also inspired by french singers and poets he discovered in Paris like Charles Baudelaire or Arthur Rimbaud, it was in Paris where he also discovered Nina Simone. In his lyrics he explores integrity and vulnerability. He commonly touches the theme of travel and not belonging anywhere.
"I am an expressionist; I sing what I say, I say what I feel and i feel what I play by honesty and none other but honesty. Some will get bored of me, but I invite the patient listener to come forth, feel and most importantly engage with me without asking too many questions. Hopefully by the end of listening they shall get answers not questionable, whether pleasing or not."His appearance is as dark and mysterious as his music and poetry, usually dressed in a long dark linen coat and barefoot, giving and androgynous vibe, his appearance defines him as much as his art.
Just a few days ago, Benjamin Clementine announced he would be releasing his new album "I Tell A Fly" on October.
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