A natural-born singer, Clerel nurtured his taste for melody in his native Cameroon, where he grew up listening to music ranging from church hymns and afrobeat to french chanson, developing an early habit of singing his favorite songs to himself as a way to "listen" to them whenever he desired. A family move to the United States in 2008 offered Djamen the opportunity to pursue a chemistry degree in Ohio, where he picked up the acoustic guitar and began honing his hitherto unexplored solo performance talents. During this stateside chapter, Clerel also spent time catching up on various Western musical styles. The most significant discovery, however, would come with a university trip to Memphis' famed Stax Records museum, where Clerel first connected with the genre of soul music. This encounter would prove instrumental in his artistic development. Following completion of his degree, Clerel relocated to Montreal, where he soon began performing at local open mics. The enthusiastic response to his performances spurred him on to pursue a career as a singer, and work on original compositions integrating his varied influences. These efforts led to a debut EP, Songs from Under a Guava Tree, co-produced with Kento Kataoka and released in the fall of 2019, followed by an appearance as an opening act for soul icon Mavis Staples at the Pop Montreal festival in September 2019. Clerel is currently working on a new collection of music due for release in 2020. User-contributed text is availa