• May 3, 1987
• Michael Kiwanuka was born and raised in Muswell Hill, a middle-class area in North London, after his parents fled Uganda during Idi Amin's brutal regime. He's quite popular in the UK, where his second album, Love & Hate, released in 2016, went to #1. He's had a harder time breaking through in America.
• Kiwanuka studied at the Royal Academy of Music when he was 18 but dropped out because "I just wasn't as good as everyone else." But he kept at it, and a few years later the songs he posted to MySpace got the attention of Communion Records, which signed him and released his first two EPs in 2011. This led to an opening slot on Adele's tour, setting the stage for his debut album, Home Again, in 2012.
• Before releasing his debut album in 2012 he won the BBC Sound Of 2012 poll, defeating Frank Ocean and Azealia Banks. This is a prestigious honor; other "Sound Of" winners include Ellie Goulding, Sam Smith and Haim.
• He listened mostly to rock music growing up - stuff like Nirvana, Neil Young and Red Hot Chili Peppers - but he got turned on to soul music when his friend brought him a 2001 compilation CD that came with an issue of Mojo magazine called Soul Riot. One track, an Otis Redding outtake of "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay," got his attention and piqued his interest in recording. In that outtake, you can hear Otis giving instructions to his producer, Steve Cropper.
• Kiwanuka hit a rough patch in 2013 when he worked on Kanye West's 2013 album Yeezus. Kanye flew him to Hawaii to work on it, but everything Kiwanuka came up with, Kanye rejected. It was a blow to his confidence that made it hard for Kiwanuka to complete his next album, which dragged on for a few years before he came up with the song "Black Man In A White World." It's a very personal song that helped Kiwanuka get his groove back. Released as the lead single, hit helped the album climb to #1 in the UK.
• His third album, Kiwanuka (2019), was a team effort with the producers Danger Mouse (of Gnarls Barkley fame) and Inflo. By this time, Kiwanuka had learned to cut himself some slack, which explains the album title. "I've learned not to be so hard on myself," he told AnOther magazine. "If sometimes things don't work out, it doesn't necessarily mean you should blame yourself - it just wasn't the right time."
  
  He describes the album as a celebration of his African roots with a message of unification.
• He teamed up with the rapper Nas on two songs for the 2016 Netflix series The Get Down: "Rule The World (I Came From the City)" and "Black Man in a White World (Ghetto Gettysburg Address)," a reworking of Kiwanuka's "Black Man in a White World."

Comments

More Songfacts:

Three Little BirdsBob Marley & the Wailers

Bob Marley's backup singers, The I Threes, claim they are the "Three Little Birds" in his famous song.

Let's DanceDavid Bowie

David Bowie's "Let's Dance" is about more than just dancing. It's about dishonesty, particularly when we mask our true feelings.

A Little Less ConversationElvis Presley

Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation" was just a minor hit when it was released in 1968, but a 2002 remix made the song a global smash, taking it to #1 in a number of countries, including Australia and the UK.

Money For NothingDire Straits

Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler got the idea for "Money For Nothing" after overhearing delivery men in a New York department store complain about their jobs while watching MTV.

You Are A TouristDeath Cab for Cutie

The music video for "You Are A Tourist" by Death Cab For Cutie was done live on the internet, becoming the first live, scripted, single-take music video recorded that way.

Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)The Stranglers

"Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)" by The Stranglers was written about the then Premier of Queensland, Joh Bjelke-Petersen. His political shenanigans were observed by the band during their first tour of Australia.

Editor's Picks

Early Days of MTVFact or Fiction

If you can recall the days when MTV played videos, you know that there are lots of stories to tell. See if you can spot the real ones.

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

U2 LyricsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the lyrics of U2?

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The RemastersSong Writing

Brian has unearthed outtakes by Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello and hundreds of other artists for reissues. Here's how he does it.

80s Video Director Jay DubinSong Writing

Billy Joel and Hall & Oates hated making videos, so they chose a director with similar contempt for the medium. That was Jay Dubin, and he has a lot to say on the subject.