Ant Clemons

album Yeah. He immortalized the moment in his song June one, which commemorates the date that his breakthrough track was released and his whole life changed. Since then, his career skyrocketed. He's worked with ty Dolla, sign Timberland, and Pharrell Williams, and written hits for Camilla Cabello and Tana Taylor. His first solo EP is called Happy to Be Here, which gives some indication for the gratitude he exudes for all of his hard won success. In December, he released a

collaboration with Justin Timberlake called Better Days. It's an uplifting anthem that they performed at President Biden's virtual inauguration bash. On his latest song, story of my life, he tells his own epic tale. It's a song that definitely needs a big screen adaptation asap. I'm so happy to welcome Aunt Clemens. I was going to join. It's a pleasure to be here. I hate to be cliche, but I'm really am happy to be here for a bit. Oh yeah, I believe me. I know that is if that is

a theme with you. I mean, dude, you've had just such an incredible year and so this is just the beginning of it. And you have just the most epic backstory and you lay it all out in your new songs Story in my Life. It's such a personal song. Can you tell me how that track came together? Oh? It actually came together from a challenge from one of my friends and the people I just care about their musical opinion. Justice from l v r N. I was having a conversation with him and he said, Yo, bro,

we love you. And anytime anybody says they love you, here comes to bring it on. I'm like telling me, He's like, bro, we love you, we just don't know who you are. Like, what do you mean? He's like, happy to be here? Was cool? I loved all those songs, but I don't feel like I learned Aunt Clemmens was and I feel like if I didn't know you, like just being a fan of you out of nowhere and

was like, hey, who is this guy? I don't think there was any song on that project that properly described you the same way that I know you to be. I was like, okay, And I literally was on my way to a session with my brother Blake and Nick Mirror from Internet Money Amazing session. We were just chilling and I was telling them I was actually heated. I was like, just as just said, you don't know who

I am. I don't blame you. I don't know. I disagree with that too, by the way, but I feel like I'm a son, I'm a king, and I'm a best friend. And literally it started like from a place of just in my head, a fake competition, but it turned into the thing that I kind of wish every artist had. What's your your Calling Cards song? What if

no one knew who you were? What's the record that describes you that you feel like, oh, yeah, this is me and this will will be the thing that will introduce you to my world that I want to draw you into. And I was just super excited to tell my story just from where I was at two, where I was at presently, like in the third verse where I'm talking about working with Kanye and doing the song with Farrell on the last project, and like talking about

the app based off the song Pharrell. It was so cool to really snapshot in real time like where my life loved. And the next day I played it for Justice like this is me. Oh man. He was like you listen, Like man, you listen on but he was like, now, I really love this song, and I appreciate you being open to the perspective, but yeah, you wouldn't be a person I care about. I didn't do that, you know. I mean, I love the video for the song because it's it's something that I feel like must go down

a lot in real life. I mean, people struggling, Your character struggles to balance his relationship with with dreams of of of making it in music. How much of that was was autobiographical for you? It was all autobiographical. It was so weird that it was in the timing of it was odd because it was like I was going through what I was acting in the video in real life.

It was such a cool process because I had the amazing scenario who was a phenomenal singer and just missed December last Playboy, Like she's the ship and she was like so beautiful, and I'm like, I gotta be mad at you. How I can't do this like stretch. I'm just I'm not trying to imagine I'm upset with you. But it was it was so cool. She had me feeling super comfortable, super professional, and it was the coolest

experience ever. And like City James and Darren, like the producers and the directors of the of the video, like just their willingness to be open to transfer what the song was to them and their interpretation of the song to film. I loved their interpretation of the of the record. Like when we got the treatment back, it was eerie because I was going through a relationship situation in real time, so I was like, get out of my life. Yeah,

it's it's it's a part of my biopic. I talked about that a lot, like I can't wait to actually have like a of biopics later in life, and this is like kind of me acting in my biopic. It was it was, it was fun. It was really fun. I love the whole experience. I mean, speaking of autobiographical there's a new song on the on the one year anniversary edition of Your Your First TP Happy to Be Here, called June one, very big day for you. Tell me

about the significance about that date. It was the culmination of hard work, impreseverance, like June one was the day that God said, you know, it's your time. Like for me it was I was in a bad deal and I had got released from that deal on May thirty one and found out that I was a part of Kanye West on mine song like that. My vocals were still on the record on June one at twelve o'clock

and my life was changed forever. And it's I'm eternally grateful one to God for allowing this to ever happen, but just that Kanye West is the person that changed my life. Like I've been a Kanye family entire life, and to think that one he knows who I am and we have a song together with Tyd dolisign out like it's it's it was like, oh, wow, dreams do come true. So that's kind of what the significance of

June first was for me. It was my reminder of yeah, all those nicely stuck on the floor, all the nose that I got, I finally got to my yes. Like I tell everybody, look for you to look for the nose like gold searching for nose because like the closer you get to your nose, you're the closer you'll get to your yes. That's for you. It sounds almost like a second birthday in a way. Yeah, it was the best.

What was life like on June second? How did that experience just completely Like when that song hit with with with Kanye, how did that change your life? So on June sewod, I actually had I was scheduled to go home because I just needed a break from l A. So before the song ever came out, I had no clue that it was coming out. I had just planned

on going back to Jersey. So I flew home on June sewod, and I always tell my friends I feel like I never went home because on June one and Clemens came home and it was like, oh wow, people perceived me as like the guy with the song with Kanye as opposed to Anthony Clemmens. Junr that you've known your whole life. It has been an interesting space, but it's it's so cool. It's been such a cool journey so far. One of my my favorite tracks on Happy to Be Here. I think it's the opening track. Mama

I made it total tear jerker for me. Tell me, tell me about that piggybacking off of off of June first. What does that song mean to you in a perfect world?

And I'm happy that we was able to put June first, like at the beginning of the project, those would be the same song and in my perfect world because Mama made it was continuation of the the blessing that God gave me on June first, and I was that was me calling my mom and just saying, hey, like all those nights I was on the floor paid off, Like all those things that you prayed for, It's happening right now. So Mama made it is one of my favorite songs.

And I felt crazy selfish dropping it on my Mother's Day. Well, it's sweet, it's a gift to her, it's but it's to her, but it's about me. It's like really noxious list because like I'm telling my story, but I'm telling her that it's cool. But it's also like because I'm cool, like, oh, it's such a cool way to look at Like, tell me, how did this journey begin for you? I mean it sounds like music was always a part of your life. I mean back to your your households, growing up with

with your parents. Tell me a little bit. It sounds like you you were basically a young young Jackson five in your household, like we aspired to be like the Jackson's. I just literally was heartbroken every time I think about the Jackson story because Michael was number five, and if we based it off of the Jackson's, I would be the Jackie like I'm the oldest, and I'm like, I want to be Jackie. I want to be Michael, like I want to be a little one, but I'm just

the oldest the two little sisters. Music was always in our house. My dad was always singing and my mom was trying to sing, but she wasn't like the best, but we loved her because she's my mom, So we

were always singing in the house, dancing. My mom could dance stuff, so my dad not being able to dance made it up for my mom being like the dancer, which is and we all got the best of both worlds like I'm able to dance the same U. Amber was like the dancer and actually was the little singer than it switched, but it was it was a Cosby Show like environment. It was literally we dressed up the same when we went out. We were that family that my parents drived for us to get compliments when we

were out at restaurants for being well behaved. Like that was the thing. You know, we can get ice cream if somebody comes up to us and said, you're all so well behaved. That's a powerful motivator ice cream. Yeah, you're just smiling at everybody, Please tell us. I mean you were also doing like I know as a kid, you were like basically Michael Jackson impersonator. Did you do talent shows and stuff? I did talent shows and I would do birthday parties. Anybody that needed like a Michael

Jackson the personator, I would show up. And I actually remember vividly dancing in second grade. My my teacher set it up to the kids actually like Michael was in the school and they cut the lights down and I was in second grade. They moved all the tables into like a circle and they played Billy Jean and I did dance Billy Jane in the middle classroom. I remember being a little scared, but I never really get afraid when I'm dancing or thinking about Michael Jackson songs. And

it's been like that since I was a kid. May did you do like Motown era stuff? So I did Motown era stuff, but it was really like Motown twenty five, like the the Moon, the Moonwalk, the Billy Gene like it was. That was my favorite era of Mike, especially growing up. That is so coold. Who else were your your musical influences growing up? They were, It's very so. It's some days with Stevie Wonder, some days it was

our Green from the Red Hat. It was obviously Marvin Gay, Kanye West, jay Z, Biggie Smallest fifty cent and Gene Unit my diverse. We grew up listening in the radio Disney and Power ninety nine sm so it's I would get the full spectrum of every Disney movie, every Disney song growing up. I love musicals, but then I also give you every rap record that was going on and every R and B song that was on the radio. I grew up in a really cultured, really hip hop

culture household that was cool. It wasn't a whole bunch of custom in the hip hop were listening to and so we got a little older, but definitely a hip hop culture. My parents were like the fun parents. When did you go from being a fan of music to to making it yourself? When did you start? Did you learn that yet you could you could write it? Trying to remember because realistically, I probably have always been making music. We were always singing and making up songs as kids.

I can remember like one of my first songs when I was like the third grade, but I can't remember taking it seriously. In high school and my parents were going through a divorce, it was just an outlet I could use to, you know, tell my story and tell talk about what was going on at the post, like just holding it in or crying. And once I kind of got through that, it was like, Oh, I like writing songs because I'm able to tell stories and put

myself in the shoes of others. There's a really cool quote you gave Reese where he said songwriting is literally looking in the mirror every day, and I wanted to ask you more about that's somebody who can't write songs. I that was really intriguing to me. I want to

ask you more about that. So I believe that you're you're looking in the mirror every day like when you're songwriting, honestly, because you're you're kind of just looking at the things that are you, that make you you and trying to identify them with what people go through every single day. Like songwriting, I feel like it's selfless, but it's super selfish the way you have to go internally to pull what someone else needs to get through what they're going

through in that period of time. Sometimes songs are escapes, sometimes songs are guys to get you from one place to the next. And with looking in the mirror at yourself and having that that level of vulnerability, you're able to have a perspective of open heartedness. You're able to look at the world and not really see the world as people taking, but you know what you can contribute and what you can give to I least, I I

like thinking about it that one. This is sort of a famous part of your backstory of how when you moved to to l A, you stayed with friends, rent free in exchange for writing a song every day, and that just as somebody who can't write music. That just seems like absolutely craziness to me writing a song every day. What is your process like for that when you just sit down and write a song? So it evolved. So

I started writing. I think my first few songs, I would write them down in a notepad, and then I grew up looking at little Wayne and day Zy not write anything down. I wouldn't be cool too, So I'll try to go on the studio and memorize my bars and my rapt before I would spend on practice freestyle and just so that I couldn't do it. I wasn't really good at it when I first started, but you know,

with practice everything kind of evolves. And honestly, I'm cracking up as I'm figuring about it because it's like my process now is very much this freestyle, the thing I had like a really really hard time with before. I kind of have an idea of a concept. I trying

to get the concept before going to the book. But a lot of it is just removing myself and allowing just what the song is to be the song, so not allowing my ego to prevent me from getting that message that someone actually needs across So I'm The process is it's kind of just freestyling until I get the thing that I that I like and piecing it together over time. It's it's sped up. So my process is a lot faster than it's been in the past. But you know, you do anything every day, it gets a

lot better. First, a few songs every single day. At that point in my career, I had already been doing about five and six song to day anyway, So someone telling me all you need is one song to day, I'm like, I have a million one song today. I'm so ready for this and I can't do anything but thanks at least Scott and Grey for opening their house to me, because they never had to do that. And I can't imagine where I would be without that, that one blessing, that one door open and allowed me to

open up doors for them and for others. And I'm just super appreciative. Your hustle is unparalleled. I mean you you were working at Red Lobster, flying back and forth from New Jersey to l A for for a while. Do you have any advice for people who are struggling to balance the day job with with making their dreams happen? My advice would be to keep going. And I hate how appreciate that sounds. I've been given the same advice. I really hate how cli siate that sound. The hardest

game is to start something and stop something. So for me, with persistence, you'll get exactly where you want to get to. So just keep going. You're not where you want to be what you're exactly where A guy has you for a reason. Great advice is it's cliche for a reason. I mean that's it's true, it's truth. I love your ear optimism, I mean just talking to you now, and it comes through in so much your music. And I love your track with Justin timber like better Days. How

did how did that one come about? How did you two wink up? That was a page out of my Wildest dreams, But that's how it happened. It was just like you know what I wrote down in my Wildest Dreams book, A song with Justice timber La that's actually been on my vision board every year since about two Guys A nine. I wanted a song with Justin timber Lay and I told my team. I was like, hey, I want to work with Justin, and during quarantine he

was just open to songwriters and I can't. I'm pretty sure it was Jody from UNPG and I love her to death. She put the word in and told Justin you know, hey, you know if you should work with Aunt Clements and we got connected via zoom and our very first conversation it was during the shift in the world where it was just the George Floyd incident had just happened. So although I was excited to meet Justin,

it was a weird time in the world. So we our conversation was what can we do to bring our talents together to be a part of the change that we want to be a part of that that we want to see. And from the first conversation, I went and I called my brother Bongo and was like, yo, I just got the phone just timperlation. He is like, and I was like, I'm like, he's from Memphis. You know you love Sam Cook. Let's do our best to give him something that feels like where he's from but

can speak to today. Is gonna come? Vibe, Yeah, we we we we We tapped into the change is Gonna come and like what's going on? Marvin Gay. It was like we were trying to get the essence of what made those songs powerful is that they weren't afraid to speak about the time. They were actively pursuing and speaking to the life that they wanted to live as opposed to the oppression and what was going on around them

that was keeping them glow. So I sent the first little idea, like a probably a course idea to Justin, like the first verse to the court, and he lost his mind. And from then every time we communicated, like when the world started open up a little bit, we started getting the physical session. We do one song too solid and then turn around and you know, we got

finished better days. And as the election started coming up and the how and saying the everything was in the world, it just showed us everything how how important it was that we had to, you know, stop what we were doing to finish this thing for the world, as opposed to like, you know, just staying in this place of entertainment. We can get right back to that, but like, let's just address was happening and be the change that somebody

might need right now. So Justin tells me, he's like, hey man, how what if we did better days for your product? And one thing leads to the next and I'm in a room looking at Justine to record his Verse to Better Days, and I'm losing my mind. And one day we're adding beatboxes and then he's a shakers and I literally watched the song grow and evolve over time. Now I feel like I'm still dreaming as I'm talking to you right now, that this is actually a reality

that I have a song with Justine Temberlake. Like I grew up a huge Instinct band, And if I was home right now, I would be showing you my Insinct dolls that I have in my house. Does he like in the studio? I mean, it's just the creativity coming off. It must be just off the charts. He's one of the coolest people I've ever worked with, And it's really kind of scary because it's like an older version of myself when it comes to the energy, Like he's so open to anything, but this is me, this isn't me.

But let's still let's still go, Let's still try and and and try to figure it out. We push each other and he's phenomenal to work with. I love. I gotta ask you about the inauguration. How was that a dream come true? In the middle of us recording. I told Justin. I was like, I think we could. Um, I feel like we're going to perform this like at the inauguration, like like the first dance or something like that.

I think that would be like really cool. And he tells me, you know, like from your mouth to God years like, I've seen you manifest a lot of a lot of things around here, so I'm not I'm not doubting it. And literally two to three weeks after that, I get a call from Justin. He's like, your Jedi mind level is at mastery And I said, excuse me, it's like, yeah, I just gotta offer with the PR two from the PR team telling us that they want us to perform better Days for the Biden Paris inauguration.

That was already going to be historic because it's the very first time we have the first female black Pogle. Prinsis the vice president and she's get inaugurated and I'm a part of this love of history. It's virtual, so that's the first ever virtual inauguration. This is going to be in history forever and I'll be their performing with one of the people that is the reason that I'm making music. Yeah, I think I can be spree for that.

I think I'm available pencil and Pencilien and man, I just remember going out to Memphis with my first time I was able to bring my mom. It was beautiful and we went to the Sax Academy and it was it was really cool, but it was it was such an honor to be there. And being from Willingburn, New Jersey,

Adam black Phone is like a hometown hero. So they have Adam do a version of the song that felt like William Burrow, it felt like church, it felt like Sharon Baptist, like where I grew up, and it felt Memphis. And it's so surreal how music and kind of transcend places so connected with Justin and connected with me, and by the grace of God, we were ever to get hurt. Franklent on a version that was the audio version of the song. So this whole thing was just amazing. Amazing

to say the least. You've had so many dreams come true, and I can't think of a nicer guy for it to happen to What what is next? What's the dream that you have right now that you're working towards. I work with Drake, I would love to work with Drake I love to work with and I would love to be in the studio with Jason. Those are some of the things that I'm striving to it. But I feel like when they happen, they'll happen, like when God God says it's time, and I'm not trying to rush Russia

until then. But I'm definitely excited and looking forward to working with those guys. Get that Jedi my mastery going. You got this? Yes, You're already off to just such a huge start in one What do you a plan for the rest of the year. We're gonna be driving

a whole bunch of more music. I'm very excited. I'm just grateful, from the nouguration to one of my first grammyates with Jesus came, and even being Grammy nominated and for happy to be here my first protect this, I'm constantly reminded that of how real God is and just how radio is so God willing. I'm gonna be driving a whole bunch of more music and videos and just a lot of cool content for the fans. I'm very excited.

Oh man, we can't wait. Thank you so much for taking the time to joy It's so such a pleasure to talk to you. Thank you, Georgia for real, I really appreciate you. I have a blesser. We hope you enjoyed this episode of Inside the Studio, a production of I Heart Radio. For more episodes of Inside the Studio or other fantastic shows, check out the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts,