by Clayton Mercieca
Local pop singer Clinton Paul has always been an eyebrow raiser in his style and performance.
I must admit, before opening up my mind to the fact that gender is a spectrum, seeing his music videos were a topic of gossip and laughter amongst my circle of friends. As a gay man growing up in a man's world, I couldn't identify with his delivery.
Years passed by since his first music video 'Badass Soldier' (2010) and in an age of ruthless social media with everyone trying to please everyone, Clinton Paul remained fearless in expressing himself as a gender queer person despite the continuous bashing he received from the hetero & queer persons alike. For that, he has my utmost admiration.
When a few weeks ago we shared on our social media that Sam Smith came out as a non-binary individual, Clinton Paul was quick to comment to say he identifies very much alike. I did not want to let that comment pass by. Gender queer and gender fluid individuals are still highly underrepresented group within our LGBTQ+ community and not everyone is comfortable being so open about it in public. I feel like our society, especially our own tribe - the LGBTQ+ community - still needs to be educated about genderqueerness, and asked Clinton Paul to give us his views:
I am a non-binary, genderqueer singer from Malta and I believe my popularity (or notoriety) arises from the fact that I was always true to myself about my identity. I have a penchant for unbashed glamour and glitz and I'm aware this has made me notorious in local circles.
His music videos on the web, which amount to a total of 27 to date, have caught the eyes of many; including Luxembourg, United Kingdom, Isle of Man, Denmark, Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Egypt, United States and many more.
Clinton Paul broke the internet with the advert for New York Best in 2016; founded own cosmetics brand Clintees and created Drag Queen ‘The Clintess’ in 2018. Between 2011 and 2017, Clinton Paul released 4 Studio Albums: 'I Know Who I Am Now' in 2011, 'Unbreakable' in 2013, 'Samsara' in 2016 and ‘Carpe Diem’ in 2017. He is currently working on his fifth one scheduled to drop this September.
Between 2017 and 2018, Clinton Paul shone in the Malta Pride Week. He took part in the concerts held in Valletta with the hit singles ‘Hunters on the Run’ (2017) and ‘Diamond’ (2018). The latter made it to The MVTV Top 20 Chart and also ranked in the Top 10 Maltese Music Videos that promote LGBTQ+ .
As a public figure, Clinton Paul is very open about his orientation.
"I hate it when people call me with the title Mr or when I have to choose if I'm male or female. I always pause and think for a bit. Growing up in the public eye has taught me to always be true to myself because people will talk about you no matter what. When I released my debut album 'I Know Who I Am Now' in 2011 I thought I knew who I was back then. Today it's completely different as I have found myself. I have found my true identity and that is being gender fluid."
"I love wearing heels, makeup, and always find support when I enter a woman's shop to buy clothes. The salespersons are so sweet that they continue with me comfortably. The fact that people recognize me helps even more. If I wasn't that known, it could have been different. But as an artist and public figure I feel I have a role to educate people about gender fluidity and to deliver the message of equality."
June 2018, Clinton Paul released a World Cup Single entitled ‘La Copa’ accompanied by a music video. ‘La Copa’ stole the hearts of many becoming an instant hit.
December 2018, the Pop Artist released what was to become one of the most talked about Christmas singles entitled ‘All In The Eyes Of A Boy’. The song managed to obtain over 20,000 views in less than a week and get featured in the website Dope Cause We Said from North Carolina.
January 2019, Clinton Paul landed on the Digital Cover of Malta's favourite lifestyle magazine, the Sunday Circle, out monthly with the Sunday Times of Malta. The interview with Iggy Fenech is available on the TOM Mag App.
March 31, Clinton Paul dropped the first single for 2019 called ‘Miraklu’. The video, produced by Evolution Media, is the last video before the lead single from Album Number 5 is released.
The new single 'Miraklu' talks about how things change when falling in love. The music video is a love story between two gay men and we see Clinton Paul in his very own element, wearing flamboyant outfits and heels.