Michael Kiwanuka

A heartfelt singer-songwriter with a deep, rich voice and an ingrained love of timeless soul music, Michael Kiwanuka came to fame in 2012 as one of Britain's most talented young stars. Raised in Muswell Hill, London by Ugandan parents, Kiwanuka worked as a session guitarist before a string of acoustic gigs in London led to a deal with Communion Records (founded by Mumford And Sons' Ben Lovett). His EPs Tell Me A Tale (2011) and I'm Getting Ready (2011) brought him to wider attention and he won the BBC Sound of 2012 poll. Led by the single of the same name, his debut album Home Again (2012) showed the full range of his talent, dipping between classic Otis Redding-style soul, acoustic folk fragility and neo-soul crooning. The album reached Number 4 in the UK charts and established Kiwanuka as the leading light of British soul music and an accomplished songwriter with a wide array of influences to draw from.