Benjamin Clementine Awarded Mercury Prize
Benjamin Clementine has just been announced as the winner of the 2015 Mercury Prize for his album, At Least For Now.
The prestigious award is given annually to the best album from the UK and Ireland and is considered one of the highest awards in music. Past winners have included lesser-knowns who have gone out to become music staples, such as; Portishead, Radiohead, Blur, Pulp, James Blake, and The XX.
Clementine is a Londoner by way of Paris. In his emotional acceptance speech, he stated, “Don’t know what to say. Thank you very much. I’d like to thank the music. I can’t believe I’ve actually won this.” As he began to cry, he then dedicated the award to those lost in the recent attacks in France’s capital. Clementine began his career by playing at Metro stations in Paris.