Michael Kiwanuka Discusses the Transformative ‘Wake-Up Call’ That Reshaped His Musical Approach

When Michael Kiwanuka received a nomination for the Mercury Prize in 2020, he believed he understood the situation. He had previously been nominated for the esteemed album award on two occasions. Similar to many artists, he stated that a nomination was an honor. A victory would be pleasant, but not profoundly transformative. He was mistaken. When Annie Mac surprised him on The One Show to announce his third nomination had resulted in a win, his perspective fundamentally shifted. “It sort of woke me up,” the singer-songwriter reveals. “I’d been desperately looking for approval from my peers and certain [media] outlets – and the Mercury freed me from that desperation.” He added, “It allowed me to feel that, actually, I just want to make the records that come naturally.” This realization held particular significance because his award-winning album, simply titled *Kiwanuka*, had explored his feelings of inadequacy as a musician, a black man, a partner, and a friend. While external validation did not silence his internal doubts, it did provide him with a valuable sense of perspective. “When you have impostor syndrome and you’re busy beating yourself up, you’re actually using up all your energy doing that, as opposed to being like, ‘Wow, how amazing it is to be making my own record?’, or, ‘How amazing that I’m playing the Pyramid Stage [at Glastonbury]?'” He continued, “The list is so long of how cool this job is, and I spent most of my time moaning. Winning the Mercury kicked off that feeling of, oh, I’ve got to sort this out.” This newfound liberation was evident during his performance at Glastonbury in June. Bathed in the late afternoon sun, the 37-year-old artist appeared on stage wearing a bright white kanzu robe—a traditional tunic from Uganda, his parents’ country of origin. Furthermore, when a malfunctioning synthesizer compelled him to halt a performance of his new song “Small Changes,” the artist, formerly a perfectionist, simply laughed it off. “I could hear my friend Joe laughing, and I sort of forgot I was on the Pyramid Stage,” he recalls. “A second later, I heard the crowd cheer, and it lifted me up off the ground.” He described it as “an amazing feeling. I felt like I had a massive battery pack from these people. I could do no wrong. Wherever I went, they would hold me up.” Afterward, the musician recognized that this brief moment of vulnerability had garnered the audience’s support. “They saw the real me for a second, rather than what I thought people wanted to see,” he reflects. “It was really eye-opening.” It appears somewhat incongruous to hear the musician characterize himself as someone who seeks to please others. Since the launch of his debut album *Home Again* in 2012, his musical style has diverged from the trend-driven virality prevalent in contemporary pop. His compositions feature unhurried and contemplative grooves, profoundly introspective lyrics, and influences—including Isaac Hayes, Bill Withers, and Marvin Gaye—that are distinctly traditional. His second album, *Love & Hate*, garnered international attention after its introductory song, “Cold Little Heart,” was selected as the opening theme for the acclaimed TV series *Big Little Lies*, starring Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman. *Kiwanuka*, released in 2019, earned him the Mercury Prize and his initial Grammy Award nomination. However, the album’s richly arranged, opulent soul often relegated his voice to the background—a characteristic he has addressed in his most recent record, *Small Changes*. “I fell in love with my voice again, which sounds weird,” he says. “But I realised being able to sing, and to have a voice that sounds good on recording, is a blessing.” He added, “So I started to want that to be heard more than all the other stuff – the drums or the guitars or the strings. And that really aided the sound of the record.” The outcome is his most minimalist and subtle album so far. With the continued assistance of producers Inflo and Danger Mouse, he crafted a collection of expansive, gradually unfolding confessional tracks that invite close listening, with their depth becoming apparent over time. The album has received overwhelmingly positive reviews. *Uncut* magazine gave it a 9/10 rating, describing it as “rich, moving and inventive,” while *Dork* praised the “perfectly-balanced” collection as “genuine, gracious, and absolutely first-class.” This week, the record is competing for the UK number one album spot against Kendrick Lamar’s unexpected release *GNX* – though it appears Kiwanuka is not overly concerned with chart performance. For him, satisfaction was found in the studio, collaborating with esteemed musicians such as legendary bassist Pino Palladino and Janet Jackson’s producer Jimmy Jam, who contributed organ parts to half of the album after an impromptu visit. Each track on the album explores minor personal transformations Kiwanuka has experienced, including addressing depression, reconnecting with childhood innocence, and navigating the complexities of marriage. While his unhurried vocal style often conveys melancholy, the lyrics are optimistic. On the title track, he sings, “Small changes solve the problems.” Nevertheless, the album was composed during a period of significant personal change for Kiwanuka, involving his relocation from London, becoming a father, and approaching middle age. “I realised, at the age of 37, it’s the first time I can talk about something that happened 10 years ago, and I was still an adult,” he laughs. “You lose touch with some people, you gain new friends. Loads of stuff happens that you’ve got to deal with for the first time, before you realise that passage of life is full of these small shifts. And actually, that’s OK.” He concluded, “Some friendships are full season, some friendships are forever, but one isn’t more important than the other.” “And that song, Small Changes, I just loved the feeling of it when I wrote it in the studio.” He explained, “It sounded the way I felt about change – part hopeful, part excited, but also with the melancholy of realising that, sometimes change is hard and it’s overwhelming and you’ve got no control over it.” The most significant development in his life is the birth of his two children, a change that has both “given me wings” and prompted him to re-evaluate his priorities. “I find that difficult,” he admits. “When you’re 18, music is all-encompassing. You don’t really care about anything else. Now there’s something in my life that’s more important – and sometimes you worry about keeping the work up to a standard.” He added, “You find that you can, but that’s another big change.” Family constitutes a primary theme of the album. In the track “The Rest Of Me,” Kiwanuka sings, “Back when I was lost, stumbling around / You found me / Now I can see / My feet won’t touch the ground.” “Commitment is a funny word,” he says. “It’s not really that exciting, but it does a lot.” He suggested, “I feel like, in this day and age, it’s almost revolutionary to stick something through to the very end. And, actually, it can negate that worried feeling the world is giving us right now.” He noted, “The last five years have been crazy, but that idea of committing to someone, whatever happens, until they leave the planet, is becoming rare. But it’s something I want to hold on to.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.