Mark Clennon (born August 13, 1990)[1][non-primary source needed][2] is a Jamaican Canadian singer, musician, and actor.[3][4][5]
Mark Clennon | |
---|---|
Born | Mark Clennon August 13, 1990 |
Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, actor |
Years active | 2013–present |
Born in Kingston, Clennon released several projects as a musician before attracting acclaim for his debut acting performance in the feature film I Don't Know Who You Are.[6][7][8]
Early life
editClennon was born in Kingston, Jamaica, where he began taking piano lessons and writing songs in his youth.[2] At the age of 15, he was relocated to Florida with his family, before moving to Toronto to pursue his music career when he turned 21.[3]
Career
editMusic
editClennon began to release music on SoundCloud in the early 2010s, but upon signing a record deal with Montreal-based record label Moonshine, he deleted all of his music off the internet to "start from scratch".[9] In an interview with The Gleaner, Clennon said that he began to take his music career seriously in 2013.[9]
Clennon's first EP, When the Smoke Clears, which consists of four songs,[10] was released on August 19, 2016.[11]
His first official single was "Blood", which attracted acclaim from international music blogs.[12][13] A music video was released on January 18, 2017.[14] His second single, "Don't Die", was released later that year and was called "powerful" by Complex writer Katie Kelly,[11] and a "sombre pop masterpiece" by Entertainment Weekly's Joey Nolfi.[15] Another single, "Find You", was released with an accompanying music video on February 27, 2017, through Paper.[16]
Around this time, Clennon left Moonshine and signed with another Canadian record label, Bonsound.[17] He subsequently released his second EP, Passion, produced by Grammy Award-winning duo Rainer + Grimm, in 2019.[18]
His third EP, Foreign, was released in 2021 and featured the singles "Part of Your World", "Not Perfect", and "Don't Start a Fire".[19][20]
In 2022, during Pride Month, Clennon released a single titled "Kingston" with an accompanying music video that featured a romantic storyline between Clennon and male model Jean-Julien Hazoumi.[21] The music video, filmed in Kingston, became the first music video shot in Jamaica to feature an on-screen romance between two men.[4][22][23]
Film
editOutside of music, Clennon played Benjamin in Canadian director M. H. Murray's 2020 short film Ghost,[5] which screened at the 30th Inside Out Film and Video Festival,[24] the 5th Paris Independent Film Festival,[25] the 34th Connecticut LGBTQ Film Festival,[5] and the 47th Seattle International Film Festival.[26] Clennon's song "Not Perfect" is featured in the film.[27]
I Don't Know Who You Are
editClennon reprised the role of Benjamin in Murray's feature film I Don't Know Who You Are, which premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.[6] This marked Clennon's debut acting performance in a feature-length film.[28] Clennon was named as one of the festival's "Rising Stars",[29] and his performance in the film received acclaim from critics.[7][30] The Daily Beast dubbed his performance as one of the best of that year's TIFF.[8]
Musical style
editClennon's music has been described as both pop and R&B,[12][13] with dancehall and soul influences.[18][31]
Personal life
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Mark Clennon: "It's my birthday today and I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for all the amazing people in my life, all the blessing to come and the privilege of being alive!"". August 13, 2021 – via Facebook.
- ^ a b "Internet reset for Mark Clennon - Older songs removed for music career relaunch". jamaica-gleaner.com. August 23, 2018.
Mark Clennon, a 26-year-old Jamaica-born singer based in Toronto, Canada, says, "My goal as an artiste is to create something that hasn't been heard before or to take something and make it my own."
- ^ a b "Future Soul: Q&A with Mark Clennon". IMPOSE. 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
- ^ a b Brasil, Sydney (June 16, 2022). "Toronto's Mark Clennon Drops "Kingston" With First Music Video Shot in Jamaica to Show Romance Between Two Men". Complex.
- ^ a b c "Short film 'Ghost' is a character study of a gay man getting ghosted". etalk. June 8, 2021.
- ^ a b Complex, Valerie (2023-08-03). "TIFF Unveils Cinematic First Looks With Discovery And Midnight Madness Program; World Premieres Include 'Hell Of A Summer,' 'Gonzo Girl,' 'Widow Clicquot,' And 'Boy Kills World'". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
- ^ a b Creith, Matthew (2023-09-08). "Review: 'I Don't Know Who You Are' Sheds An Uncomfortable Light On Sexual Assault In The Queer Era". IN Magazine. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ a b Levitt, Barry (2023-09-20). "The Best Performances at the Toronto International Film Festival". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ a b "Internet reset for Mark Clennon - Older songs removed for music career relaunch". jamaica-gleaner.com. 2016-08-23. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
Clennon has been working on establishing a music career for the past three years.
- ^ "When the Smoke Clears by Mark Clennon | Moonshine". Retrieved 2022-06-28.
- ^ a b Kelly, Katie (July 19, 2016). "Stream Mark Clennon's Powerful Single "Don't Die"". Complex.
- ^ a b Schofield, Jason (2016). "Mark Clennon brings a fresh take on dreamy R&B with Blood". PILERATS.
- ^ a b Wright, Janine (January 27, 2017). "Mark Clennon - "Blood"". Noise Porn.
- ^ Mark Clennon - Blood (Official Music Video), 18 January 2017
- ^ July 29, Joey Nolfi Updated; EDT, 2016 at 05:35 pm. "10 under-the-radar songs from emerging artists to hear now". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
{{cite magazine}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Hazelhurst, Beatrice (February 27, 2017). "PREMIERE: Find Yourself in Mark Clennon's New Video 'Find You' About Police Brutality". PAPER.
- ^ "Mark Clennon". bonsound.com.
- ^ a b Patrick, Ryan B. (September 9, 2019). "Mark Clennon Passion | Exclaim!". Exclaim!.
- ^ Slingerland, Calum (February 9, 2021). "Mark Clennon Marries Music and Movement in His "Don't Start a Fire" Video | Exclaim!". Exclaim!.
- ^ "Mark Clennon releases Passion and unveils a music video for Not Perfect". bonsound.com.
- ^ Mark Clennon - Kingston (Official Music Video), 14 June 2022
- ^ Bell, Kaelen (June 15, 2022). "Mark Clennon Shares New "Kingston" Video, the First Shot in Jamaica to Feature an Onscreen Romance Between Two Men | Exclaim!". Exclaim!.
- ^ "Jamaican R&B artiste challenges homo stereotypes with 'Kingston' | Loop Jamaica". Loop News. June 23, 2022.
- ^ Wilner, Norman (July 2, 2020). "Inside Out 2020 is happening (online) in October". NOW Magazine.
- ^ "Toronto filmmaker explores 'ghosting' and modern dating in new short film". CBC News.
- ^ Tatum, Erin (2021-05-05). "Filmmaker M.H. Murray Examines The Anxiety of Modern Dating in New Short Film, "Ghost"". Cliché Magazine.
- ^ GHOST (Gay Short Film) directed by M. H. Murray starring Mark Clennon, 16 June 2021
- ^ "I Don't Know Who You Are". TIFF. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
- ^ Creith, Matthew (2023-09-08). "Interview: Star Mark Clennon Transitions From Musician To Bonafide Actor In The Toronto-Set 'I Don't Know Who You Are'". IN Magazine. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
- ^ Trussow, Tomas (2023-09-22). "TIFF 2023 Report #1". The Lonely Film Critic. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ "Toronto's Mark Clennon Drops "Kingston" With First Music Video Shot in Jamaica to Show Romance Between Two Men". Complex.
- ^ Matthew Creith, "Interview: Star Mark Clennon Transitions From Musician To Bonafide Actor In The Toronto-Set 'I Don't Know Who You Are'". In Magazine, September 8, 2023.
External links
edit- Mark Clennon at IMDb