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Michael Kiwanuka

Singer Songwriter from North London

Michael Kiwanuka

Michael Kiwanuka

Singer Songwriter from North London

Travels From Travels From:
London, UK
Speaking Fee Speaking Fee:
Live Event: $30,000 - $50,000
Virtual Event: Please Contact
More Fee Info
Categories Categories:
Categories Categories:
Arts & Humanities, Music
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Michael Kiwanuka Biography

With Michael Kiwanuka, it’s all about the voice. A voice that he describes as “hitting straight through to the core” with direct, emotional songs about love, yearning, comfort and belonging. It’s a voice that built him a following via MySpace and small London gigs, and led Paul Butler from The Bees to invite him to the band’s Isle of Wight studio to lay down these introductory tracks from what promises to be a major new British singer/songwriter. Which makes it all the more strange, really, that what Michael originally set out to be was a session guitarist who maybe wrote the odd song for other people.

Growing up in North London, he struggled at times to see where he fitted in. An avid England and Spurs fan, he found it hard to imagine a day when a name like Kiwanuka could sit comfortably on the back of a football shirt here. Nonetheless, when his parents took him and his brother back to Uganda to visit family, he and his brother were immediately recognised as British tourists. Like most of his schoolmates, he liked bands like Nirvana, Radiohead, Offspring and Blur, but it was only when he discovered that Jimi Hendrix was black that he understood he had a place playing rock guitar.

In his teens, two other icons helped him find his voice. A friend gave him a Bob Dylan box set, and Michael was bowled over by the power of a well-crafted song, delivered with just urgent vocals and an acoustic guitar. Later, he was playing the free CD that came with a music magazine and heard an out-take of ‘Sitting on the Dock of the Bay’ in which Otis Redding was talking to the studio engineer. It made the soul icon seem more human, more accessible, and though there were later to be other influences from Bill Withers and Terry Callier to John Martyn and Laura Marling, it was Dylan and Redding who laid the foundations for Michael’s own rootsy, folk-inflected modern soul.

He played in rock bands at school, and when he was 16 went east to Hackney in search of other musicians to work with. He began hanging out with Tinie Tempah collaborator Labrinth at his studio, played contemporary R&B, soul and jazz-funk at small jam sessions, and did some session guitar for the likes of Tottenham rapper Chipmunk. “It was fun and I learned loads, but I still felt like I didn’t quite fit in. I couldn’t express the side of me that had played in rock bands, or listened to Dylan or Nirvana.”

He began writing his own songs quietly at home, just for fun. They weren’t meant for other people to hear – at least not at first. “No one would give me a gig playing the kind of music I loved, so I had to write my own. It was more to keep my passion in music alive, just something to do to keep my soul warm, you know. It didn’t fit into what was in the charts at the time!”

Eventually, he recorded demos of a few songs, hoping to give them to others to perform. But he was surprised to find that people loved his voice, and began encouraging him to play small shows. And finally, he found his place in the world. “I love singing live, the feeling when you really connect with an audience, when suddenly there’s a hush and you can feel it in the air. It doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does, it’s really special.”

This debut EP was produced by Paul Butler of The Bees, in the band’s Isle of Wight studio. “I’d just been playing my songs with an acoustic guitar, and that will always be the core, the thing I come back to. But Paul also encouraged me to mix in the kind of music I was playing when I was hanging out in Hackney, so I got to play a bit more electric, and a bit of bass, and it turned out to be quite a soulful record. It’s got folk things there but also influences like Shuggie Otis and Curtis Mayfield. I really enjoyed making it.”

Tell Me A Tale, I Need Your Company and Worry Walks Beside Me are timeless songs that could only have come from Britain in 2011. Real, raw and achingly beautiful, they are just a taste of what is to come.

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Michael Kiwanuka Videos

  • Michael Kiwanuka - Love & Hate - YouTube
    Michael Kiwanuka - Love & Hate - YouTube
  • Michael Kiwanuka - Cold Little Heart - YouTube
    Michael Kiwanuka - Cold Little Heart - YouTube
  • WLT - Michael Kiwanuka - I'm Getting Ready - YouTube
    WLT - Michael Kiwanuka - I'm Getting Ready - YouTube
See All Videos »

FAQs on booking Michael Kiwanuka

  • How do I book Michael Kiwanuka to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Michael Kiwanuka for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Michael Kiwanuka, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Michael Kiwanuka or any other speaker of your choice.

  • What are the speaker fees for Michael Kiwanuka

    Speaking fees for Michael Kiwanuka, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Michael Kiwanuka are for live events and for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Michael Kiwanuka, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

  • What topics does Michael Kiwanuka speak about?

    Michael Kiwanuka is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Arts & Humanities, Music.

  • Where does Michael Kiwanuka travel from?

    Michael Kiwanuka generally travels from London, UK, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.

  • Who is Michael Kiwanuka’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Michael Kiwanuka for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Michael Kiwanuka for your next private or corporate function.

  • What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Michael Kiwanuka or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.

  • Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

    If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.

Michael Kiwanuka is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Michael Kiwanuka for your event is $30,000 - $50,000. Michael Kiwanuka generally travels from LondonUK and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Bell Biv Devoe, F. Gary Gray, Joey Bada$$, Carvens Lissaint and Questlove. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Michael Kiwanuka for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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