# Clara Benin

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

## Early life

Clara Benin was born on February 19, 1994 in Manila, Philippines. She moved to Bacolod during high school then went back to Manila for college and went back to Bacolod to rest after graduating college.

## 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.

## Career

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

### 2013–2014: Early days
#### 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.

#### 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.
Benin wrote and recorded the theme song ("Araw't Gabi") for the independent film Red.

### 2015: Breakthrough

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

#### 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.

#### 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.

### 2016: Hiatus

In 2016, Benin announced that she would take a break from music after her first solo concert due to personal reasons.

### 2017–present: Comeback

In 2017, after announcing a hiatus, Benin made her comeback and released a new single titled "Parallel Universe".

#### 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.
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.

#### Second EP: I Rose Up Slowly

In October 2019, nearly four years after releasing her debut EP, Benin released her second EP titled I Rose Up Slowly. The EP consists of five original tracks, produced by Nick Lazaro.

#### Third EP: Fragments

In November 2020, Benin released her third EP titled Fragments, featuring "Araw at Gabi" and "Wine", which are songs that she previously released.

#### Second album: Befriending My Tears

In August 2023, Benin released her second album Befriending My Tears. The album consisted of nine original songs and was released under Sony Music Philippines sublabel OFFMUTE.

## Discography

Albums
* Human Eyes (2015)
* Befriending My Tears (2023)
EPs
* Riverchild (2015)
* I Rose Up Slowly (2019)
* Fragments (2020)

## Accolades

| Year | Award | Category | Notable Works | Result |
| 2014 | 3rd Philippine Popular Music Festival | Spinnr People’s Choice Award | "Kung Akin Ang Langit" (with Mcoy Fundales) | Won |
| 2020 | 5th Wish 107.5 Music Awards | Wishclusive Contemporary Folk Performance of the Year | "I Rose Up Slowly" | Won |
| 2020 | 5th Wish 107.5 Music Awards | Wishclusive Collaboration of the Year | "Solomon" (with Munimuni) | Nominated |
| 2020 | 5th Wish 107.5 Music Awards | Wish Artist of the Year | "Clara Benin" | Nominated |
| 2021 | 6th Wish 107.5 Music Awards | Wishclusive Contemporary Folk Performance of the Year | "It’s Okay” | Nominated |
| 2021 | 6th Wish 107.5 Music Awards | Wish Contemporary Folk Song of the Year | "Wine" | Nominated |
| 2021 | 6th Wish 107.5 Music Awards | Wish Artist of the Year | "Clara Benin" | Nominated |
| 2021 | 34th Awit Awards | Best Ballad Recording | "Araw at Gabi" | Nominated |
| 2021 | 34th Awit Awards | Peoples' Voice Favorite Female Artist | "Clara Benin" | Nominated |
| 2022 | 35th Awit Awards | Best Engineered Recording | "Blink" (with Fran Lorenzo) | Won |
| 2023 | 8th Wish 107.5 Music Awards | Wishclusive Contemporary Folk Performance of the Year | "Blink” | Nominated |
| 2023 | 8th Wish 107.5 Music Awards | Wish Contemporary Folk Song of the Year | "Affable Dork" | Nominated |
| 2023 | 36th Awit Awards | Best Jazz Recording | "Affable Dork" | Nominated |
| 2023 | 36th Awit Awards | Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist | "Affable Dork" | Nominated |
| 2024 | 9th Wish 107.5 Music Awards | Wishclusive Rock/Alternative Performance of the Year | "Small Town” | Nominated |
| 2024 | 9th Wish 107.5 Music Awards | Wish Contemporary Folk Song of the Year | "Imposter Syndrome" | Nominated |
| 2024 | 9th Wish 107.5 Music Awards | Wish Artist of the Year | "Clara Benin" | Nominated |
| 2024 | 37th Awit Awards | Best Performance by a Solo Artist | "Small Town” | Nominated |
| 2024 | 37th Awit Awards | Best Christmas Recording | "Can't Wait to See You On Christmas Day” | Nominated |