Biography

Clerel grew up in Douala, Cameroon, grooving to the sounds from his parents’ stereo, ranging from from french variété to church hymns. Early on, Clerel developed a habit of singing his favorite songs to himself as a way to "listen" to them whenever he desired, an exercise that helped him hone his vocal control.  A family move in his teens brought him to Ohio, where he studied chemistry and picked up the acoustic guitar from a college roommate. A life-changing visit to famed Stax Records Museum of American Soul around the same time introduced him to the soulful style within which he began finding his own voice.
 Soon after completion of his degree, Djamen relocated to Montreal, Canada, where he made his stage debut, equipped with his voice and acoustic guitar. Word about his captivating voice soon spread around town and beyond, inspiring Djamen to channel his musical influences into his own original compositions. These efforts led to an EP, Songs from Under a Guava Tree, co-produced with Japanese-Canadian engineer, producer and guitarist Kento Kataoka and released in 2019. More recently, Djamen has released a digital 45, My Anthem / Talking About Love, as well as a first Francophone project, Interlude. 
 Clerel has also appeared as a contestant on nationally broadcast reality talent show La Voix (The Voice Canada) and participated in The Late Show’s #PlayAtHome series, with a performance of his single Blackstone .