Michael Kiwanuka

With a heart-stopping voice, a warm, organic sound, and a stylistic mix of folk and rock with a dash of soul, Michael Kiwanuka, British singer/songwriter Michael Kiwanuka made a splash on both sides of the Atlantic in the 2010s. Born in the Muswell Hill section of London on May 3, 1987, Kiwanuka started out as a guitarist working with hip-hop artists and others before finding his calling as a singer/songwriter. But once he did, it didn't take long for things to start happening for him. Connecting with British indie label Communion Records, Kiwanuka released the EP Tell Me a Tale in 2011, followed by I'm Getting Ready. He quickly earned the interest of Polydor, and through them he released his debut LP, Home Again, in 2012. The record took the U.K. by storm, going to No. 4 and birthing a hit single in the title track. The album even made it into the American charts, underlining the broad appeal of Kiwanuka's old-school sound. It took four years for the follow-up to arrive, but when Love & Hate was finally released in 2016, it went all the way to No. 1 on the U.K. charts. Curiously, though, all of the album's singles stiffed in England, faring better in the U.S., where "Cold Little Heart" even achieved Gold status. Kiwanuka's songs also appeared in several American TV series, which helped to spread his renown further. His third album, simply titled Kiwanuka, appeared in 2019. Like its predecessor, the record was co-produced by Danger Mouse. It reached No. 2 in the U.K. By this point, Kiwanuka had also been nominated for a slew of British honors, including Brit Awards, BBC Awards, Q Awards, and many others.