Product Details

• Audio CD (July 31, 2015)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol

Editorial Reviews Benjamin Clementine, the acclaimed London-born, Paris-based singer, songwriterand pianist will release his stunning debut album, At Least For Now, on July31st in the US. Clementine has packed a lot into his 26 years: heartbreak, homelessness, andreinvention all came before reaching cult status in Paris and eventuallyreceiving the Best New Act honors at 2015 s Les Victoires de la Musique, theFrench equivalent of the GRAMMY Awards. Raised in a strict religious householdin the tough Edmonton section of London, Benjamin started to teach himself thekeyboard at age 11, stumbling upon classical rather than contemporary pop; asparse piano solo by Erik Satie in particular transformed the way he played.At 16 years old, in a rare moment of permitted TV watching, he caught New Yorkavant-gardists Antony and the Johnsons performing the disarmingly naked HopeThere s Someone on the BBC. I was confused, scared…it was another world,says Clementine. When it finished, I went back upstairs to my piano andstarted playing chords. Inspired by figures like Leonard Cohen and with no emotional or employmentties to keep him in London Benjamin left for Paris at age 20; sleeping rough,working in kitchens and busking out of economic necessity. First in thecorridors of the Place de Clichy station and then on the metro, he built hisvoice and refined his craft as he made enough money to move first to a hosteland then into a room of his own. Having eventually returned to his hometown ofLondon, word spread from across the continent to the point where BenjaminClementine s U.K. live debut took place on national TV when he played twosongs on Later…With Jools Holland. At 6 ft 3 dressed in his now-trademarkovercoat and bare-feet Clementine cut an extraordinary, puzzling presence,causing a small storm on Twitter, and Paul McCartney amongst the first tocongratulate Clementine on an amazing performance. U.S. audiences have only recently been introduced to Benjamin s intimate liveperformances which have tugged at heartstrings and sent shivers down spines ofEuropean concertgoers for more than two years now. Rolling Stone namedClementine one of their New Artists You Need to Know , evocatively describinghis unique sound as Nina Simone s brother steps into an elegant French cafe,sits down at the piano and tears open a vein. NPR Music noted that Clementinehas been stirring hearts abroad with his awe-inspiring voice,” as theyintroduced the video for his powerful track Nemesis.