Benjamin Sainte-Clémentine (born 7 December 1988), known professionally as Benjamin Clementine, is an English artist, poet, vocalist, composer, and musician.
I was lucky to have read a lot of poetry when I was younger; it helped me to remember a way to write.
We have the real self and the false self, there's nothing wrong with them, and everyone has both of them.
The real self is who you are when you're at home, when you're comfortable, and the false self is what you're pretending - and the reason you pretend is because you want to create a character for the surroundings you're within.
There's a part in every person that has a fake self. We've had this since infancy due to our parents and our upbringing.
I wasn't quite used to writing a diary - I didn't understand why people did it - but I wrote down notes and they went into a poem.
I've always been shy, but every time that I sing or I perform, when music comes out of me, it is the only thing I can relate to, it's the only thing I can give.
I loved English literature - if didn't it would have been hard - but I had to learn it myself. I remembered ways to repeat words, to put more emphasis on certain lines.
[My music] is opposite to fashion.
We're all competent in different ways, we've just got to find a way to push ourselves up more.
I know that New York is big, there are huge buildings, but in fact, it's quite small and contained.
That's how I always try to start my thoughts. I write them down first, eventually it turns into a poem, and if I feel like composing something to it, then I do that.