The Story
Born in London to Ugandan parents, Michael Kiwanuka started out unsure of himself as a singer — he thought of himself mainly as a guitar player until preparing for his 2012 Bonnaroo debut pushed him to trust his own voice.
His debut album, Home Again (2012), was nominated for the Mercury Prize, as was Love & Hate (2016) — the album whose nearly-ten-minute track 'Cold Little Heart' became the opening-credits theme for HBO's Big Little Lies almost by accident, after Kiwanuka initially thought it would appear in just one scene.
On his third nomination, KIWANUKA (2019) won the 2020 Hyundai Mercury Prize, beating albums including Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia and Stormzy's Heavy Is the Head, with judges praising it as 'classic yet contemporary.'
He continues to record and tour, releasing Small Changes in 2024.
