Masha Vasyukova: Craig was shooting pictures in daylight and we wanted the film to match. then the next day we had only 45 minutes to film. She flew in literally the night before the shoot and we drafted some ideas. T Magazine also asked for a short film to go with the shoot and I invited Masha to come along and do it with me, as we've collaborated a lot in the past. To tell the truth, I wasn't familiar with him and his music but he had this incredible, elegant and sophisticated look to him that almost reminded me of a beautiful jazz singer back in 1920s. How did the collaboration with Clementine come about?Ĭraig McDean: I was asked to photograph Benjamin for T Magazine back in January. Here, McDean and Vasyukova reflect on the inspirations behind their collaboration, and what makes Clementine so resoundingly appealing.

An immersion into 1920s surrealism, it combines the psychoanalytic symbolism of Jean Cocteau with the grace of Man Ray, and serves to enhance the disquieting impact of Clementine's haunted melodies. Most recently, renowned photographer Craig McDean and collaborator Masha Vasyukova were taken aback by Clementine's timeless elegance while shooting him for T Magazine, and they subsequently went on to direct the accompanying video for his painfully poignant single I Won't Complain. These words feel particularly resonant in light of his recent ascent to renown having spent years busking on the Paris Métro after leaving his hometown of Edmonton, London, Clementine has quickly risen to a kind of universal acclaim, his soulful melancholy and almost breathtaking good looks combining to project a powerful, otherworldly majesty when he performs. Go out there and get what you want to get”.

“If anyone is watching, any child or youngster or student, the world is your oyster. Even the 25-year-old musician himself could hardly seem to believe it: “I never thought I would say this,” he said emotionally as he took to the stage. When Benjamin Clementine won the Mercury Prize at the end of last year, it came as a surprise to music fans and industry alike (Jamie xx had been hotly tipped to pick up the award).

Clementine music video