A vocalist with a warm, emotive voice and a passionate style, Clinton Kane developed an audience via homemade videos where he covered his favorite songs before he matured into an expressive, emotionally powerful songwriter. Not afraid to bare his soul or use his lyrics as a vehicle to explore his own issues, Kane’s music is full of passionate introspection that doesn’t compromise the strength of his melodies. He first reached an international audience as the voice behind Martin Garrix’s international smash Drown, while he opened up his soul as a lyricist on the 2019 EP This Is What It Feels Like and struck a balance between his confessional and tuneful sides on the 2021 hits Chicken Tendies and I Guess I’m in Love. Born on November 26, 1999, of Filipino-Norwegian heritage, Clinton Kane spent most of his youth in Australia, Norway, and the United Kingdom. His parents split up when he was 14 years old, and he and his two brothers were raised by their newly single mother, who loved music and encouraged her kids in their creative ambitions. A self-taught musician, Kane learned to master guitar, keyboards, and drums, and in June 2016, he began posting videos online in which he performed songs from some of his favorite artists, among them James Arthur, Ed Sheeran, the Weeknd, the Chainsmokers, and Khalid. He developed a following for his powerful, intimate performances, and he began writing his own material in 2018. A life crisis led to Kane suffering a panic attack, and as he struggled to sort out his emotions, he picked up a guitar and used words and melody to explain his feelings. The experience led him to begin looking into himself and writing songs about what he saw as he studied his thoughts and emotions. The result was his debut EP, 2019’s This Is What It Feels Like, a set of deeply personal songs that put a sharp focus on his personal concerns and his expressive vocal style. The EP brought Kane to the attention of Dutch producer Martin Garrix, who invited him to contribute vocals to his track Drown. The single became an international hit that introduced Kane to a new and wider audience, and he was subsequently signed to Columbia Records. Through 2020, he issued a series of soul-baring tracks, including I Don’t Want to Watch the World End with Someone Else, Fix It to Break It, Hopeless, and Remember the Mornings. In February 2021, Kane released one of his most accessible and personal efforts, the single Chicken Tendies. The hit ballad I Guess I’m in Love appeared later that year.
