The Red Bulletin November 2019 (UK)

Michael Kiwanuka
“I’m glad I said
no to Kanye”
How walking out on one of music’s top producers
helped the soulful singer-songwriter keep his feet
on the ground and his career on the right track…
Words BJÖRN SPRINGORUM
It’s safe to say that you’re destined
for greatness when Adele asks you
to support her on tour before you’ve
even released an album. And when
folky London-Ugandan singersongwriter
Michael Kiwanuka’s
debut, Home Again, came out the
year after he joined the awardwinning
singer on her 2011 Adele
Live tour, it reached number four in
the UK album chart and went gold.
His second album, 2016’s Love &
Hate – produced by Danger Mouse –
outperformed its successor, topping
the UK album chart and affirming
Kiwanuka’s reputation as one of the
world’s most sought-after young
soul voices. Another superstar who
discovered Kiwanuka’s talent early
on was Kanye West, who invited him
into the studio to record together.
As he prepares for the release of
his eponymous third album, the
32-year-old reminisces about that
Kanye moment, and reveals why
he still believes that cancelling the
session was the right decision for
his fledgling career…
the red bulletin: Kanye West
is famous for collaborating with
the world’s hottest and most
talented musicians. How did it
feel when he invited you to go into
the studio with him?
michael kiwanuka: The whole
thing was utterly crazy, man.
Photography OLIVIA ROSE
Kanye West, the mightiest figure
in music, invites me to Hawaii…
and I didn’t really understand why.
I didn’t even have my first album out,
and I was only just learning the tricks
of the trade. I was like, “What? How
did he even hear one of my songs?”
I was scared. I couldn’t believe that
he really wanted to work with me.
All I could do was try to second-guess
how he wanted me to be.
His invitation didn’t feel like
a confidence boost?
No, not for me. I arrived at his
studio laden with self-doubt and
disbelief. And perhaps the craziest
thing of all was that he was being
super nice the whole time. He let
me sit in his main room while he
was making music. He was so
quiet and concentrated, and he
worked constantly, almost 24 hours
[a day] – I hardly ever saw him
sleep. He had this confidence
radiating off him, and he always
told me that I could do anything
I wanted to do if I just was being
myself. He actually said that.
So, what happened?
I didn’t believe a single word. I was
positively convinced that I had to
become another person, because
I couldn’t see that he wanted me
the way I was. I went home, even
left my guitar there.
To know that someone that talented
can hear something special in my
music is utterly surreal.
Do you think that in life you
sometimes have to sacrifice
a big opportunity for an even
larger goal?
Well, you never know what would
have happened. But yes, I guess
it can be good to miss out on
something. In the end, everything
got me to the point where I am now,
and I couldn’t be happier. So, in
that sense, yeah, I’m glad I walked
out on Kanye West.
At the time, did it feel like you’d
failed in some way?
Yes, but that’s fine. People who have
always been good at things, and
who have got through life without
any difficulties at all, really struggle
when they fail for the first time,
because they’re just not used to the
feeling. Even Kanye West has failed
a lot of times. Failing early on is
the best way to learn. It’s not exactly
fun, but it’s essential.
Your debut album, Home Again,
was a breakthrough hit, and the
follow-up, Love & Hate, topped
the album chart. With your third,
Kiwanuka, ready for release,
how do you define success?
Ultimately, it’s about personal
satisfaction; a contentment with
what I am doing. I’m able to do what
I love for a living: getting up in the
morning and making music.
And winning a major award –
a Grammy, for instance – isn’t
part of the equation?
Awards are like landmarks: they
keep you on this journey. A Grammy
will never really solve any real issues,
but it can make you keep going.
Kiwanuka is released on October 25;
michaelkiwanuka.com
Why was it so difficult to believe
what he told you?
I think the invitation came too
early in my career. I learnt a lot
from it, though, and I’m glad it
happened that way. Who knows
if it would have got to my head?
Still, it was a great experience.
THE RED BULLETIN 27