Mark Clennon, a Jamaican-born LGBTQ+ artist who stands out for his innovative approach to his talents as a musician, actor, and director, recently released a new music video for his single, “YOU.” The video includes an insightful message that centers on his brave open heart.
The single “YOU,” written and produced by Clennon, embodies a variety of music genres perfectly infused together, including reggae, dancehall, folk, and R&B. He shot the music video shot in his hometown, Kingston, Jamaica, working alongside M.H. Murray.
The video sucks you into a beautiful and colorful cinematic experience, starting with a mysterious and captivating intro skit that truly entices the viewer. Clennon’s message revolves around the concept of societal acceptance, particularly in Jamaica, one of the most dangerous countries that criminalizes same-gender activity, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Clennon and his co-lead video model, whose identity remains a secret for safety reasons, portrayed these beings who come from another dimension on a mission to teach love, kindness, and tolerance, to “Save them from themselves.”
The heart of Clennon’s music mirrors his courage and self-expression. Intentionally and insightfully, he inspires non-conformity and pushes boundaries to highlight same-gender oppression, emphasizing the need to reconsider and embrace others with acceptance and compassion. In the beautiful video, he also shared a personal story about a relationship, expressing the experience of heartbreak that comes with love.
In a press release, he says:
“I wrote this song so long ago that I don’t even remember who I wrote it about but wherever he is, I hope he’s happy.” Clennon adds, “I wrote this song over 10 years ago for my first record, and when I signed my first record deal I took all my music down to start from scratch, including this song, but in the back of my mind I knew I loved this song too much to keep it hidden. When I began writing my forthcoming record, I knew I had to include this song so I updated the production to fit my current style and changed a few lyrics and I’m so proud of how it turned out.”
Beyond the cinematic approach and perceptive message, he incorporated his infatuating style and dance moves. Clennon seems to have creativity flow in his DNA. He grew up inspired by his father, a saxophone player, and his brother, a successful dancehall producer. These influences reflect his music, aesthetics, erratic dance moves, and compelling stage presence.
Leaving his home country at age 15, he struggled to balance his Jamaican and Canadian roots growing up in Toronto. Despite the circumstances, the R&B scene in Toronto highly motivated Clennon to expand and explore ways to merge both cultures into his music. He achieved his first breakthrough with the release of his debut single, ‘Blood,’ in 2017.
Clennon says, “‘YOU’ captures the balance I’ve tried to strike in my career between representing my culture authentically while also making music for everyone.”
In addition to his music, Clennon is also an exceptional actor. In 2020, he played Benjamin in co-director Murray’s short film, Ghost, which premiered at the Inside Out Film and Video Festival, Paris Independent Film Festival, Connecticut LGBTQ Film Festival, and Seattle International Film Festival. Continuing his acting career at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, Clennon was also a part of another Murray film, I Don’t Know Who You Are. He was named one of the festival’s “Rising Stars” and complimented by The Daily Beast as one of the festival’s finest.
Watch the video for “YOU” below:
Images courtesy of Mark Clennon
