If you’re looking for a new artist that you should listen to and probably haven’t heard of, Benjamin Clementine might be your man. It doesn’t matter much what your musical style is, because listening to one of his albums is like taking a trip through a museum of music. You get influences from classical composers over a bossa nova beat followed by an outburst of jazz. Then suddenly you’re listening to something that you could hear when you turn on the current pop station on the radio, ended by a rock power ballad with piano accompaniment. Each song is so unique, it really is a trip down the rabbit hole into his creative mind whenever you start his playlist, where Pavarotti sits next to Adele as they compose some pseudo-jazz. And like anytime you go down a rabbit hole, there’s a whole lot of crazy mixed in.

Benjamin Sainte-Clémentine is a London born artist, musician, composer, producer, and poet. He has gained notoriety, mostly across Europe with over 280,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. He rose up from the tragedies of his family life as a child, to get to where he is today. He had to be raised by his grandmother on the outskirts of London, until he was forced to move in with his parents when she passed away. As if this wasn’t enough, like many young artists, he was bullied constantly through his school years. By his late teens, he found himself homeless and alone on the streets of Paris. He had no classical training in music, no lessons, no theory; just a dream and a spirit that moved the music inside of him. He could not give up, he could not give in, for he had stories to tell. After four years of living with no place he could call his own, a businessman heard his music and took a chance.

In 2012, the record label Behind was formed so that Clementine could record and publish his music. By 2013, he had released his first album, and was on his way to where he is today. And where he is today is pretty incredible considering where he came from. His newest album has hit the top 10 charts all over Europe, was Number 1 in France, and has been certified gold. It even went on to win a Victoires de la Musique, which is the French equivalent of the Grammys. This all from the kid who learned what he knows about music from watching television programming, who overcame family problems, bullying, and teen homelessness. He overcame all odds, and he’s nowhere near done. He has yet to celebrate his thirtieth birthday, and all of Europe is eagerly awaiting what is yet to come. And so am I.

It is only a matter of time before his music and incredible story spreads mainstream here to the USA, more than it already has, that is. If you paid attention to the Winter Olympics this year, then you have undoubtedly heard the name Nathan Chen; you have also already heard Clementine’s music. The 18 year old figure skating superstar performed his short program to Clementine’s “Nemesis” and performed the first quadruple flip in Olympic competition history. With American icons like Nathan Chen bringing a taste of Clementine to the United States, I know Chicago and the rest of the US will be ready to welcome him with open arms.