Michael Kiwanuka Interview

You may have seen Michael Kiwanuka’s name before, it has been on practically all the ‘ones to watch’ for this year, just missing out the Brit’s Critics Choice Award. With a sound that draws comparisons to Bill Withers and Otis Redding, a tour with Adele under his belt and an album due out, 2012 is set to turn this captivating performer into a big star. We caught up with Michael to see what he makes of the attention he has got so far and the pressure it brings.

Originally you lacked the confidence to sing your own songs, why was that?

I didn’t really think that I could pull it off. I sang a bit at home and stuff but I wasn’t that confident to sing out properly. I thought if I am struggling to sing out and be at the front of the stage, it’s better to give songs to other people. It wasn’t natural at first, but I definitely enjoy it now and have the confidence to do that, but at the beginning it was quite hard, I didn’t intend to do it at first.

You aren’t a natural showman?

Not really, I didn’t necessarily want to be at the front of the stage. What I do love, I love music so much and you can experience emotion through music when you write your own music and sing your own music. Because I love playing and singing those songs, believe in them, I guess its easier to watch as I am not uncomfortable, I am lost in the music. If I was to get up there and do stand up or just show off, I would run away and hide, the music helps me through it.

Your EP, Tell me a tale, has an authentic 60’s feel, was that intentional from the start?

The studio I worked at for that, lends its self to that kind of sound and producer. The feeling of the sound and the melodies I guess have a strong influence within that kind of sound and that music. It’s a bit of both, the way I put music together and play and the way the studio sounded, we didn’t force it too much but we did aim for that.

How was it supporting Adele last summer? Did she give you any advice?

 Not verbal advice but the tour was a month long so watching the gig each night and seeing how things work when you are an artist at that level was advice enough. Seeing how the shows go, watching sound check and seeing the band put things together with the sound men, how the whole thing works. It was a great insight to how things can go, if things go well and you work hard and try and do as good music as you can. I definitely learnt masses from that tour and can feel the improvements from that.

It’s been an exciting year for you, have you had time to process all that’s gone on?

Only these last two days really, because it’s been kind of all systems go for the past four or so weeks, but the last few days I’ve had a bit of time at home so I have been able to gather my thoughts, I guess its starting to sink in. I am just trying to concentrate on music, playing guitar and singing songs so that it doesn’t get too overwhelming. It’s good, it’s exciting, its nice to have people interested in my music. 

People have compared you to Bill Withers and Otis Redding, how does that feel? 

It’s great because I love both of those artists; it’s really flattering, humbling and encouraging. It helps you just to keep at it and try and get better, I find it quite encouraging actually, its nice because they are people I look up to a lot musically and I am influenced by them. I hope my music kind of shines through by myself so that people can hear me in it to.

You have been tipped as one to watch by lots of places, does that put any added pressure on you?

It does sometimes. I have always had a pressure to myself to try and live up to any acclaim from anyone.  If I am up on stage, even if it’s a small gig, you want to prove them right or that it was worth having you play. With these polls it’s a bit of pressure but I think it’s good to have a bit of that, it makes you work hard and be the best that you can. I am trying not to let it overtake and ruin the experience as it can kind of paralyse you if you let it take over. I am just enjoying it and making sure I can be the best, after that there’s not much else I can do but hopefully I live up to it.

What are your hopes for this year?        

The album is coming out so for loads of people to hear that and for it to do well, to translate across the world really, to be heard in other countries. To go on the road loads and do some touring, I love playing. I love being a musician, to have some good gigs in nice venues and enjoy the road. That’s my plan for this year, just enjoy the live circuit and get the album out there.

Does fame appeal to you or is it just a necessary by-product of being a successful artist?

If the music became famous so they know the song. It’s interesting, someone like Bill Whitters, if he walked down the street no one would recognise him but they would know his songs, that’s the ideal situation. I would love the music to travel and be known. Any musician that told you they didn’t want that would be lying. In terms of fame and celebrities, knowing and hanging out with famous people all the time and being in the paper, I am not really interested in that and never really was. I definitely would love the music to go as far as possible and the songs to get out there. If it meant that the celebrity lifestyle came then I would be happy to pay that cost if it meant the music would be heard in many places.

Is there any place in world you would like to tour?

Yeah the whole continent of Africa, not just South Africa but Central West Africa, North Africa, that would be amazing. Not many people go there to play music it kind of gets overlooked. I had a small chance to play in America last week and I would like to go back there. It’s such a large country; there are so many places to go. Those two are the top of my list and continuing to play around Europe.

Published in Yorkshire Evening Post