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Michael Kiwanuka is the BBC Sound of 2012 winner. Not many artists highlighted by BBC Sound of over the years can claim to be influenced by a free covermount CD on a magazine. That is the tale of Michael Kiwanuka however, he left early musical loves Nirvana and Radiohead behind when he came upon a rare recording of Otis Redding's Sitting On The Dock of the Bay on a magazine tribute to Bob Dylan.
Kiwanuka's soul had a new rootsy-folk direction, drawing influences from John Martyn alongside Pop Staples and Bill Withers and it wasn't long before his unique voice had attracted the attention of Paul Butler from the Bees, who took him to the Isle of Wight to work on EP Tell Me The Tale. Soon Communion Records had signed the 24 year-old up and Adele had invited the Londoner on her landmark 2011 tour.
Laura Marling arrived with the next tour offer, while an unflappable Kiwanuka stole the show among Bjork, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Noel Gallagher on the final Later... with Jools Holland of the series. 2012 is sure to bring many more triumphs.
Read the full article 06/01/12
"Soul singer Michael Kiwanuka has come top of the BBC Sound of 2012 list..."
Read the full article 06/01/12
"Kiwanuka is blessed with a voice so soulful and mature it appears to have been beamed in directly from Memphis in 1972..."
Read the full article 28/11/11
"He grew up listening to Radiohead & Nirvana and plays the guitar... so how on earth is Michael Kiwanuka making his case as North London's answer to Bill Withers..."
Read the full article 24/05/11
"There's nothing original about this British retro-soul man - but when you sound like Bill Withers, Van Morrison and the Temptations maybe that's not such a bad thing..."
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Comment number 2.
Ted Martin9th January 2012 - 18:52
Hi,
Who can tell me how to participate to this challenge, please?
Ted
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Comment number 1.
Kabiyesi8th January 2012 - 15:44
MK reminds me of the deep, undiluted and natural soul/jazz drops of the 60s to the very early 70s. Thank you for your life, imagination, and doggedness for not going the way your hip-hop age group has "slaughtered" music and made it a theme for gang culture
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