Cornerstone | Benjamin Clementine | TEDxSalford

Performance by the charismatic Benjamin Clementine at TEDxSalford 2014.

Benjamin Sainte-Clementine is a charismatic singer-poet, pianist, composer and affecting performer. He hails from London, Edmonton Green, but started his artistic career whilst traveling in Paris, 2009, aged just 19. He has a unique vocal style and a hugely eclectic range, often infusing his lyrics with literary references. Though a musician, he also considers himself a writer. He has also been highly praised for his distinctive tenor vocals.

Clementine is entirely self-taught musically. Growing up, Clementine had little exposure to music and it was this naivety that now made his singing so confusing to classify. In his teens he had caught Anthony Hegarty performing Hope There’s Someone on television; then on the radio he’d heard the avant-garde French composer Erik Satie. Unconsciously, he had married the spirit of these two influences with poetic lyrics to produce his own material, both original and epic.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx