Clara Benin

Clara Benin (born February 19, 1994) is a Filipina indie singer-songwriter best known for her track "Parallel Universe". As of October 2019, Benin has amassed tens of millions of streams in Spotify.

Clara Benin
Born	(1994-02-19) February 19, 1994 (age 30)
Genres	Indie folk acoustic
Occupation(s)	Musician, Singer, Songwriter, Producer
Instrument(s)	Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Keyboards
Labels	OFFMUTE
Website	clarabenin.com

Personal life

Clara Benin is the eldest daughter of former Side A member Joey Benin. She has three other siblings, Boey, Jaco, and Sarah who are also inclined to music.^[1]

Career

In 2012, Benin enrolled in MINT College to study Music Business Management, where she released a video of her original composition "Closure".

2013: Elements National Music Camp

In 2013, she was accepted, in the same batch with fellow artists Reese and Vica and Sitti, into the Philippines' Elements National Music Camp. Here she was mentored by Ryan Cayabyab, Joey Ayala and Noel Cabangon.^[2][3]

2014: Philippine Popular Music Festival

In 2014, she performed for the McDonald's jingle "Hooray for Today". She then participated with Mcoy Fundales at the third Philippine Popular Music Festival to interpret the song entry "Kung Akin Ang Langit", written by Chi Datu-Bocobo and Isaac Joseph Garcia. The song won the Spinnr People's Choice Award.^[4]

Benin wrote and recorded the theme song ("Araw't Gabi") for the independent film Red.^[5][6]

2015–present: Breakthrough

Her debut album "Human Eyes" was released on 7 March 2015 at 26th St. Bistro in BGC.^[7][8]

Debut album: Human Eyes

"Human Eyes" was recorded in three months at the Sonic Boom studio at MINT College and at Loudbox Studios. The album is self-produced, with the help of her father Joey Benin, indie music impresario Alex Lim, and studio producer/engineer Angee Rozul for mixing and mastering.^[9][10]

First EP: Riverchild

In November 2015, Benin released the EP titled Riverchild that she produced, wrote, and mixed.

The "Riverchild" EP is part of an advocacy campaign for bringing children to school. Proceeds will go to the Tapulanga Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization working to uplift the lives of those who were born with less through educational scholarships and healthcare assistance.^[11][12]

2019: Zandari Festa and Coke Studio Philippines

Benin performed in the 2019 edition of Zandari Festa, an annual three-day music festival held in Seoul, South Korea.^[13]

It was announced that Benin will be participating in the third season of Coke Studio Philippines, an annual music television program in the Philippines featuring performances by various Filipino music artists.^[14][15]

Discography

Main article: Clara Benin discography

Albums

• Human Eyes (2015)^[16][17]
• Befriending My Tears (2023)

EPs

• Riverchild (2015)^[18][19]
• I Rose Up Slowly (2019)^[20]
• Fragments (2020)^[21][22]

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Notable Works	Result	References
2020	5th Wish Music Awards	Wishclusive Contemporary Folk Performance of the Year	"I Rose Up Slowly"	Won	^[23]^[24]
		Wishclusive Collaboration of the Year	"Solomon" (with Munimuni)	Nominated
		Wish Artist of the Year	"Clara Benin"	Nominated

References

1. "Meet Clara Benin, singer-songwriter daughter of former Side A member Joey Benin". PEP. 6 April 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
2. . Archived from the original on 2017-02-17. Retrieved 2017-02-17.
3. "Clara Benin: Growing Into Her Own". Status Magazine. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2019. ^{[permanent dead link]}
4. "Philpop – News and Events". www.philpop.com.ph. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
5. "BE MY THRILL – Clara Benin / Growing, behind a popular jingle". Meeting Benches. 17 March 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
6. "InqPOP! Sessions x Clara Benin". Inquirer. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
7. "HUMAN EYES Album Launch". Agimat. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
8. "CLARA BENIN: WHEN BEAUTY AND VOICE COLLIDES". LionHearTV. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
9. "Meet Clara Benin, singer-songwriter daughter of former Side A member Joey Benin". PEP. 6 April 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
10. "Clara Benin: Growing Into Her Own". Status Magazine. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2019.^{[permanent dead link]}
11. "Clara Benin to launch her latest EP "Riverchild" at SOMA Green Sun". Inquirer. 25 November 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
12. "Clara Benin". BeeHype. 4 December 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
13. "Clara Benin lined up for South Korea's largest music festival!". Rakista. 18 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
14. "Coke Studio reveals Season 3 lineup". Bandwagon Asia. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
15. "Coke Studio PH kicks off Season 3 with a grand music festival". Tech and Lifestyle Journal. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
16. "Human Eyes by Clara Benin on iTunes". iTunes Store. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
17. "Human Eyes". Spotify. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
18. "Riverchild – EP by Clara Benin on iTunes". iTunes Store. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
19. "Riverchild EP". Spotify. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
20. "I Rose Up Slowly EP". Spotify. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
21. "fragments – EP by Clara Benin on iTunes". iTunes Store. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
22. "Fragments EP". Spotify. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
23. "Munimuni, Ben&Ben, IV Of Spades, Clara Benin, and more are nominated at the 5th Wish 107.5 Music Awards". Bandwagon Asia. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
24. "Ben&Ben, Clara Benin, IV of Spades, Reese Lansangan, SB19, and more win at the 5th Wish 107.5 Music Awards". Bandwagon Asia. 20 January 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2020.