FEATURE:
I've Been Dazed
What Next for the Mercury-Winning Michael Kiwanuka?
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ON Thursday (24th)…
PHOTO CREDIT: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Hyundai Mercury Prize
Michael Kiwanuka won this year’s Mercury Prize. It was a real competitive and exceptional shortlist this year, and the fact Kiwanuka won with his album, KIWANUKA, proves what a wonderful album it is. The actual ‘ceremony’ was very different this year. Annie Mac announced Kiwanuka as the winner on The One Show, and there was so much love and respect for him when the news was announced. The man himself seemed genuinely shocked and humbled, and the fact Kiwanuka is such a modest artist made his win so deserved. It is a bit of an odd time to win the award, but the album will go on to reach new people. I would encourage everyone to buy the album, as it is truly remarkable, and it follows 2012’s Home Again, and 2016’s Love & Hate – both of which were nominated for the Mercury Prize. On his finest album to date, Kiwanuka really struck a chord and produced an album that will resonate and reverberate for years. Here is what AllMusic wrote when they reviewed KIWANUKA:
“Singer and songwriter Michael Kiwanuka is beloved by progressive music fans in his native U.K. He's been nominated for the Mercury Prize for his previous albums (Home Again and Love & Hate) and also received a Brit Prize nom for the latter. Further, his song "Cold Little Heart" became a kind of international indie hit after it was chosen as the theme song for HBO's star-studded series Big Little Lies. Born to Ugandan parents who fled during Idi Amin's reign of terror and settled in Muswell Hill, Kiwanuka has had to fight to keep his identity at the forefront of the culture; numerous record execs tried to get him to dump his birth name for one easier to market, resulting in such a crisis of self-confidence that he shelved an earlier album called Night Songs, recorded as the initial follow-up to Home Again, so he could decide if he even wanted to continue pursuing a musical vocation.
This third album wears its self-titling as a badge of honor, a statement of who Michael Kiwanuka as artist and individual is. Once more produced by Danger Mouse and Inflo, this 13-song set is a brave, colorful collection that provides an exceptionally well-rounded aural portrait of Kiwanuka’s massive and diverse talent. If one had to choose a genre umbrella for this release, the term “21st century psychedelic soul” would fit better than anything else. The opening tune here, “You Ain’t the Problem,” carries the inspiration of Curtis Mayfield in its rave-up chorus, while “Rolling” melds sweeping soul and the reverbed guitar psychedelia of Arthur Lee and Love. “Hero,” at least initially, is a haunted, acoustically driven folk ballad: “I won’t change my name/No matter what they call me.”
It transforms from a first-person manifesto into a trippy yet direct folk-rock homage to Fred Hampton, late president of the Chicago chapter of the Black Panther Party, who was gunned down by city police as he slept. “This Kind of Love” is perhaps the first tune to ever meld Bill Withers’ folksy, funky soul to Terry Callier’s singular, jazzed-up take on the genre. “Hard to Say Goodbye” is a weave of exotica-tinged, pillowy strings; Pink Floyd-esque guitar and effects atmospherics; and the sophisticated soul of Stevie Wonder circa Talking Book. Lyrically, the album reveals Kiwanuka at his most vulnerable and strident (no mean feat). The dramatic nature of his songwriting is gifted to listeners in catchy earworms, adventurous textural interludes, provocative lyrics, and through an ambitious melodic palette. As fine as Love & Hate was – worthy of all its accolades – Kiwanuka stands head and shoulders above it as a complex, communicative, poetic, and sometimes even profound collection that wears its heart on its sleeve and its sophistication in its grooves”.
I am so pleased for Michael Kiwanuka, and this is a moment where he can capitalise on his success and adulation and see where he heads next. Ordinarily, he might be in the studio or touring, but as we are still locked down to an extent, it will be interesting to see what Michael Kiwanuka does next. After such a terrific third album, I don’t think there will be a lot of instant pressure and expectations for a follow-up. I think, given that 2020 has seen a lot of division and racial tensions, that is going to be on Kiwanuka’s mind; the way the world has changed since COVID-19 will play a part, and I would be interesting to see how Kiwanuka spends the £25,000 prize money. This is a question every Mercury winner is asked, but it is a big sum, and previous winners have used the money to record another album or use it to tour internationally. I think Kiwanuka will put some of the money into a new album, but he was interviewed by NME after his win; he explained how the honour has helped him dream big:
“Your album was a powerful statement of intent about celebrating your identity and heritage in the face of adversity. Do you think this win will help inspire others?
“I hope it’s something that people can hear and be inspired by. I hope it inspires people who maybe have a similar story to mine or people who, in other ways, maybe feel like they’re going into something that is maybe outside of their comfort zone or not usually the path they would be expected to take. I’d hope it inspires them just to keep going and to keep being true to themselves, to keep going but not to compromise. That’s something I really believe in and I hope that is something can garner from my music and especially the songs on this album.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Olivia Rose Courtesy of Polydor Records
Has lockdown given you any time to start work on a new album?
“I’m always writing songs and having ideas. I don’t know if [what I’ve done yet] will be for another record necessarily. I need to find out what sound I’m going to go to. But yeah, definitely at the beginning of lockdown I couldn’t stop writing. I chilled out a bit after that and now I’m writing a bit more now. Like everyone else, I’ve got a little home set-up and studio and just done demos. So I’ve been doing that but I’ve also been taking it easy as well and just enjoying listening to records. I’ve kind of just been going back to the roots of it all and just playing my acoustic guitar and just seeing what comes out. I don’t know what sound or what direction the next album will go in yet but we’ll see!”
Have you any plans yet for what you’re going to do with the prize money?
“I do you know! I really want to set up a good studio and I think I’m going to use some of this money to help get that going; I want to find a good space where I can be creative anytime of the day or night and also I want it to be a space that can be used by others and the community as well.
“I think people forget how exciting and powerful playing music is, especially young people. With the news about kids not enjoying school, if they can find music and a place to do that and play loudly or just learn instruments, I think there’s so much they can gain from that. Music saved my life so I’d love to have a space where people could be able to do that. So hopefully some of this money can go towards starting something like that”.
Look at the sheer growth and rate of progress between albums. 2012’s Home Again was a great album, but there was a bit of debt owed to classic Soul singers. Love & Hate arrived four years later, and it marked a big leap for Kiwanuka in terms of individuality and confidence. I would think he wants to perform songs from KIWANUKA next year before committing to a new album, but I think each release gets stronger and stronger! I wanted to react to his win (albeit a bit late!) and look ahead to a career that is going to get bigger and richer. I think Michael Kiwanuka will get major headline sets (when festivals resume) and he will continue to release some of the best albums you’ll ever hear! Match his incredibly powerful and beautiful voice with songs that not only get into the heart but make you think more deeply about the world, and we have a modern artist who has the potential to be a legend. If you have not investigated the world of Michael Kiwanuka and heard his Mercury-winning album, then do so now, as it is an album that you will not be able to shake and forget when you hear it. I just want to end by adding my congratulations to the…
WONDERFUL Michael Kiwanuka.