Jesse was born in Johannesburg in 1988. By the time he was six months old he was on tour with his father Johnny Clegg and between 1988 and 1994 he spent at least 5 months a year on the road.He was a classic road kid and grew up back stage and on tour busses.

Early on, Jesse carved out an independent direction for himself in the rock genre, very different from the world music style developed by his father. He strived to express himself in the most authentic way possible and understood the importance of being able to perform live. He experimented with a number of different instruments - which included saxophone, clarinet, drums and piano – until he settled and focused mainly on guitar. By seventeen, songwriting was his musical focus and it was in this period and the years to follow that he honed his writing skills and put together the songs recorded on the first album.

The single "Today" which was released on radio in mid August 2008 debuted at number 1 on the Highveld "Homebrew" Chart, a considerable feat for a debut artist with a debut single and an historical first for Homebrew.

Jesse recently performed his first official show at the Joburg Theatre and received an astounding reaction from an audience that was expecting only the best. Jesse’s face has been all over the place and he his unique sound has made eveyone have his names on their lips. The latest single ‘Heartbreak Street’ has received a great response from the public and is still keeping the airwaves alive. Jesse was also nominated for 2 SAMA awards at the 2009 South African Music Awards for ‘Record Of The Year’ and ‘Music Video Of The Year’ for the track ‘Today’. He recently performed at the esteemed Mandela Day concert in New York City, held at the Radio City Music Hall, alongside a variety of world famous performers and musicians. This is only the start for Jesse Clegg, a bright future awaits the young star.

Jesse Clegg’s debut album ‘When I Wake Up’ is out now.