Who is he?
A 23-year-old north London singer-songwriter with the voice of a 1960s US soul man, a vintage sound brimming with yearning and cracked joy – perfect for supporting Adele on her recent US/Europe tour. Kiwanuka credits an outtake version of Otis Redding's The Dock of the Bay and a Bob Dylan box set as instrumental to finding his voice, but it was only on discovering that Jimi Hendrix was black that he felt he could also embrace his desire to play guitar.
So race has been an issue for him as a musician?
He played in rock bands as a teen and dug Radiohead and Nirvana, but growing up in London as the son of Ugandan immigrants meant Kiwanuka spent a lot of time trying to establish a cultural identity, one both complicated and validated through the music that spoke to him.
He's found his niche now though?
Yes, in a roundabout way. His started out as a session guitarist, playing R&B, funk and jazz sessions for Tinie Tempah's producer Labrinth, but the rootsy solo material he was moonlighting at low-key London gigs eventually caught the attention of Paul Butler from the Bees, who invited Kiwanuka to the Isle of Wight to lay down the tracks that would become his upcoming Tell Me a Tale EP. The electric guitar styles Kiwanuka had provided during the Labrinth sessions sifted their way into the soulful, folk-leaning acoustic style he favoured, giving the retro-sounding songs a Terry Callier/Curtis Mayfield flavour.
Where can I hear him?
There are three songs at Myspace. There you can get also more info about him. The Tell Me a Tale EP was released on 13 June on Communion
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