Babymorocco | |
|---|---|
| Born | Clayton Pettet 1994 or 1995 (age 28–29) Casablanca, Morocco |
| Education | Central Saint Martins |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | House |
| Labels |
|
| Website | www |
Clayton Pettet, known professionally as Babymorocco, is an English singer, record producer, and performance artist. In 2013, he announced his debut performance art piece, Art School Stole My Virginity, which he stated would involve him losing his virginity in front of a crowd. It took place in 2014. He began making music professionally during the COVID-19 pandemic, signing to True Panther Records and releasing his debut extended play, The Sound, in 2023.
Life and career
Clayton Pettet was born in Casablanca, Morocco[1] to an English father, who works as a lawyer for a teachers' union, and a Moroccan Jewish mother, who runs a charity shop. His parents met on a kibbutz in Israel, where most of his family resides, and secretly married in Chelsea. He has a twin brother, Tamir, and two older sisters. He grew up in Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, England; he was raised Jewish and had a bar mitzvah.[2] He attended a boys' sports school, which he has stated was the worst-rated in his county, where he faced antisemitism from his classmates.[3] As a teenager, he often went to clubs, including an under-18 trance night that, according to him, "changed [his] life" and heavily influenced his later music.[4]
He moved to London at age 18 and attended Central Saint Martins to study fine art.[5] In 2013, Pettet announced that his debut performance art project, Art School Stole My Virginity, would involve him publicly losing his virginity to a male classmate in front of around 100 guests. The announcement made international news and caused Central Saint Martins to publicly distance themselves from Pettet.[3] He was arrested by police for graffitiing the name of the show and its date on a billboard in East London in November 2013.[2] The show took place at Marylebone Gardens in April 2014 and did not involve him being sexually penetrated, with him instead inviting guests into a separate room to put a banana in his mouth and revealing he had never intended to lose his virginity during the show.[6] Pettet, using the name Babymorocco, became popular on Instagram and Tumblr in 2016 for his sexualized self-portraits.[1]
Babymorocco began making music professionally during the COVID-19 pandemic. His debut single, "iPhone Song 5", was released in October 2020.[7] He signed to True Panther Records and released his debut extended play, The Sound, in June 2023, preceded by the single "Sun Sex Party".[5] He also started an independent record label, Phat Boy Records.[8] Babymorocco was featured on the Jockstrap song "Sexy" from their remix album I<3UQTINVU, released in November 2023.[9] He is scheduled to perform as an opening act for hyperpop singer Dorian Electra on the European dates for the world tour in promotion of their album Fanfare in January 2024.[8]
Artistry
Babymorocco has listed Carolee Schneemann, John Currin, Marina Abramovic, Jeff Koons, and Annabel Chong as influences on his art.[3] Babymorocco's music is house music[10] inspired by club music of the early 2000s and Eurotrash.[5][11] Douglas Greenwood of i-D wrote that Babymorocco combined "the intense aesthetics of male heterosexuals" with "songs that sound like they might sample the Pet Shop Boys", calling him "the coolest man in British music at the moment" in 2023.[12]
Discography
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| The Sound |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "iPhone Song 5" | 2020 | Non-album singles |
| "My Sad Blue Tears in Los Angeles" | 2021 | |
| "Tuch Me" | ||
| "I Wish (California)" | 2022 | |
| "I Dont Like the Truth With U" | ||
| "Girlfriends" | The Sound | |
| "Destruction" | ||
| "Lets Go Zante" | Non-album singles | |
| "Fading (From My Eyes)" | ||
| "I Wish You Would Make It Easy" | 2023 | |
| "NRG" | The Sound | |
| "Sun Sex Party" | ||
| "Everyone" | ||
| "SXC (with Frost Children)" |
Non-album singles | |
| "I'll Fall (Again)" |
References
- 1 2 Jackson, Tom (April 2016). "Baby Morocco". Gayletter. No. 4. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- 1 2 Hines, Nico (12 December 2013). "Even an Arrest Can't Stop Clayton Pettet From Losing His Virginity in an Art Show". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- 1 2 3 Edwardes, Charlotte (29 October 2013). "Losing my virginity will be a work of art". Evening Standard. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ↑ D'Souza, Shaad (12 December 2022). "Freak show: 2022's sexiest, silliest and most brilliantly strange musicians". The Face. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- 1 2 3 Wickes, Jade (26 May 2023). "Babymorocco wants you to have a good time". The Face. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ↑ Duffy, Nick (4 April 2014). "'Art School Stole My Virginity' takes place, and it's not what you expected". PinkNews. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ↑ Misraje, Oliver (16 October 2020). "Premiere: Clayton Pettet - 'iphone song 5'". Office. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- 1 2 Fabris, Andres (14 November 2023). "Babymorocco Is The Main UK Boy". Music Daily. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ↑ Corcoran, Nina (12 September 2023). "Jockstrap Announce I Love You Jennifer B Remix Album, Share New Video". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ↑ Pilley, Max (1 November 2023). "Jockstrap's new remix album is a steep deeper into the duo's warped minds". NME. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ↑ Evans, Georgia (14 November 2023). "The best gigs, live shows and concerts in London in November". Time Out London. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ↑ Greenwood, Douglas (6 March 2023). "i-D's cultural recommendations: TASCHEN's new photobook and an erotic gay party". i-D. Retrieved 20 November 2023.