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Mark Clennon
Clennon at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival
Born
Mark Clennon

(1990-08-13) August 13, 1990 (age 34)
Kingston, Jamaica
Occupation(s)Singer, musician, writer, producer, actor
Years active2013–present

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]

Early life

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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]

Career

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Music

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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]

Film

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Clennon in Ghost (2020)

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]

I Don't Know Who You Are

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Main article: I Don't Know Who You Are

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]

Musical style

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Clennon's music has been described by critics as both pop and R&B,[13][14] with dancehall and soul influences.[19][31]

Personal life

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Clennon is out as gay.[32]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ 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."
  3. ^ a b "Future Soul: Q&A with Mark Clennon". IMPOSE. 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ a b c "Short film 'Ghost' is a character study of a gay man getting ghosted". etalk. June 8, 2021.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ a b Levitt, Barry (2023-09-20). "The Best Performances at the Toronto International Film Festival". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  9. ^ a b 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!.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "When the Smoke Clears by Mark Clennon | Moonshine". Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  12. ^ a b Kelly, Katie (July 19, 2016). "Stream Mark Clennon's Powerful Single "Don't Die"". Complex.
  13. ^ a b Schofield, Jason (2016). "Mark Clennon brings a fresh take on dreamy R&B with Blood". PILERATS.
  14. ^ a b Wright, Janine (January 27, 2017). "Mark Clennon - "Blood"". Noise Porn.
  15. ^ Mark Clennon - Blood (Official Music Video), 18 January 2017
  16. ^ 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)
  17. ^ Hazelhurst, Beatrice (February 27, 2017). "PREMIERE: Find Yourself in Mark Clennon's New Video 'Find You' About Police Brutality". PAPER.
  18. ^ "Mark Clennon". bonsound.com.
  19. ^ a b Patrick, Ryan B. (September 9, 2019). "Mark Clennon Passion | Exclaim!". Exclaim!.
  20. ^ Slingerland, Calum (February 9, 2021). "Mark Clennon Marries Music and Movement in His "Don't Start a Fire" Video | Exclaim!". Exclaim!.
  21. ^ "Mark Clennon releases Passion and unveils a music video for Not Perfect". bonsound.com.
  22. ^ Mark Clennon - Kingston (Official Music Video), 14 June 2022
  23. ^ "Jamaican R&B artiste challenges homo stereotypes with 'Kingston' | Loop Jamaica". Loop News. June 23, 2022.
  24. ^ Wilner, Norman (July 2, 2020). "Inside Out 2020 is happening (online) in October". NOW Magazine.
  25. ^ "Toronto filmmaker explores 'ghosting' and modern dating in new short film". CBC News.
  26. ^ Tatum, Erin (2021-05-05). "Filmmaker M.H. Murray Examines The Anxiety of Modern Dating in New Short Film, "Ghost"". Cliché Magazine.
  27. ^ GHOST (Gay Short Film) directed by M. H. Murray starring Mark Clennon, 16 June 2021
  28. ^ "I Don't Know Who You Are". TIFF. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ Trussow, Tomas (2023-09-22). "TIFF 2023 Report #1". The Lonely Film Critic. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  31. ^ "Toronto's Mark Clennon Drops "Kingston" With First Music Video Shot in Jamaica to Show Romance Between Two Men". Complex.
  32. ^ 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.
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