Can you tell us about what your goal was for I Tell A Fly?

Listening to the new album, it sounds like you’ve had free reign to explore whatever interests you. So I think they had to allow me to do what I wanted to do. Of course, for the first album I did because there was banter between me and my record label, but eventually they allowed me to do what I wanted to do and, winning the Mercury Prize obviously helped me as well because then it’s all proving a point. I don’t get any pressure from anyone to be honest it’s easy going. Maybe I’ll write hits for other people, but I don’t think I’m really interested in that for myself. So I’m really lucky to be in the position I’m in because my label know that I’m not the guy who’s going to write hits. I want to be a popular artist, but I’m not the kind of artist that has got a formula, I suppose. No, luckily for me I haven’t had any pressure from my fans. Did you have pressure from your label to repeat the success of your debut, or pressure from fans to produce more of the same? It’s very hard to somehow show people that if you’re a black man sitting in front of a piano with an afro, it doesn’t mean that you’re Ray Charles or Little Richard. I think we should do more though, but that’s another topic. It is very hard to break the UK, so to have been awarded something like the Mercury Prize is a plus. But it certainly is one of the assets that is very important to artists that are trying to break the UK. Whether it’s doing enough, I’m not quite sure. Do you feel the Mercury Prize is still a helpful initiative? It’s nice for people to appreciate what you do, but life goes on I suppose. And, of course, I’m more than honored to have won the Mercury Prize. didn’t sell a lot but it’s still made people look in my direction a little bit. How did life changed for you after that? Did it have a big impact? I Tell A Fly Benjamin Clementine From $9.99 You were catapulted into the spotlight with your 2015 Mercury Prize win.

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