Unknown and misidentified when he emerged in 2018 on Kanye West's "All Mine," contemporary R&B artist Ant Clemons has since become a highly sought-after collaborative singer and songwriter, counting Beyoncé and Skrillex among the varied stars who have tracked him down to contribute to Grammy-nominated recordings. Building upon his work for other artists, Clemons garnered yet more acclaim with the release of his 2020 debut solo EP, Happy 2 Be Here, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album. Following 2020's "Better Days" with Justin Timberlake, he re-released Happy 2 Be Here in 2021, adding the single "June 1st."

A native of New Jersey, Clemons started making regular trips to Los Angeles in 2016, hoping to enter the music industry as a songwriter. After he connected with Ryan Toby (formerly of City High and a co-writer of hits for Will Smith and Justin Bieber), he landed a co-writing credit the next year on Luke James' "Drip." Shortly thereafter, Clemons made a strong creative bond with writer/producer Uforo Bongo Ebong. A demo on which they worked with Jeremih developed into Kanye West's "All Mine," which showcased Clemons' nimble falsetto -- without a formal featured credit, spurring speculation that Jeremih was the singer -- and credited him as a co-writer. The track reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 2018 and went platinum three months later. West also had Clemons contribute to Teyana Taylor's K.T.S.E. Suddenly in demand, Clemons co-wrote and/or sang background on a slew of releases throughout the next year, including YBN Cordae's The Lost Boy, Beyoncé's The Lion King: The Gift, and Skrillex's "Midnight Hour."

Meanwhile, Clemons juggled sessions with West and other singers and rappers and was making progress as a solo artist. In October 2019, he made his debut as a headliner with "4 Letter Word," co-produced by Timbaland, and was heard again on Jesus Is King, another number one album by West. After the Recording Academy announced Grammy nominations for YBN Cordae, Beyoncé, and Skrillex, Clemons added to his solo discography with "Excited," featuring Ty Dolla $ign, and soon followed it with "Beep." Clemons' three singles appeared on the eight-track set Happy 2 Be Here in February 2020. Among the new songs was the Pharrell Williams collaboration "Aladdin." The following year, he teamed up with Justin Timberlake for the inspirational "Better Days." Marking three years since his 2018 breakthrough with West's "All Mine," Clemons re-released his EP as the Happy 2 Be Here (Anniversary Edition), which featured the added track "June 1st." ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi