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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mark Clennon (born August 13, 1990)[1][non-primary source needed][2] is a Jamaican Canadian singer, musician, writer, producer, and actor.[3][4][5] 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, which premiered in the Discovery program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival[6][7][8] The music video for Clennon's song "Kingston" became the first music video shot in Jamaica to feature an on-screen romance between two men.[9]
Mark Clennon | |
|---|---|
.png) Clennon at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival | |
| Born | Mark Clennon August 13, 1990 |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, writer, producer, actor |
| Years active | 2013–present |
Clennon 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]
Clennon 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".[10] In an interview with The Gleaner, Clennon said that he began to take his music career seriously in 2013.[10]
Clennon's first EP, When the Smoke Clears, which consists of four songs,[11] was released on August 19, 2016.[12]
His first official single was "Blood", which attracted acclaim from international music blogs.[13][14] A music video was released on January 18, 2017.[15] His second single, "Don't Die", was released later that year and was called "powerful" by Complex writer Katie Kelly,[12] and a "sombre pop masterpiece" by Entertainment Weekly's Joey Nolfi.[16] Another single, "Find You", was released with an accompanying music video on February 27, 2017, through Paper.[17]
Around this time, Clennon left Moonshine and signed with another Canadian record label, Bonsound.[18] He subsequently released his second EP, Passion, produced by Grammy Award-winning duo Rainer + Grimm, in 2019.[19]
His third EP, Foreign, was released in 2021 and featured the singles "Part of Your World", "Not Perfect", and "Don't Start a Fire".[20][21]
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.[22] The music video, filmed in Kingston, became the first music video shot in Jamaica to feature an on-screen romance between two men.[4][9][23]
Outside 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]
Clennon reprised the role of Benjamin in Murray's feature film I Don't Know Who You Are, which premiered in the Discovery program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.[6] Clennon also served as a story editor and a producer on the film. 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]
Clennon's music has been described by critics as both pop and R&B,[13][14] with dancehall and soul influences.[19][31]
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