He’s the voice behind the hit single Today which topped 94.7 Highveld Stereo’s Homebrew chart and Jesse Clegg’s debut album, When I Wake Up, reached SA stores recently.
The 20-year-old was taken aback by the response to Today. “I thought it was a mistake. I was in my car when I first heard it on the radio. I pulled over and said, ‘Wow’. It was unbelievable.”
It took him three years to write all the songs on the album. “It took another year to record. The songs I write are a personal, meaningful and honest account of my life.”
The second single off the album will probably be the ballad Heartbreak Street. “The song is about dealing with the end of a relationship and we’ve all been there.”
Jesse is the son of local musician Johnny Clegg and he has gone on tour with his dad since he was six months old. “My dad was at the height of his career when I was born so I’ve been exposed to music my whole life.
“But my music is different. My album is more rock/pop. It has everything from country and blues to rock.”
Jesse was influenced by folk and West African music and artists such as Coldplay and Radiohead. He’s a first-year law student at Wits University but says music is his main passion. “I’m writing songs all the time. I’ve written about seven for my next album.”
