Michael Kiwanuka stopped by Live from Studio X this week to give us a little preview of his early morning set this afternoon at Lollapalooza. The London based soul musician preformed two cuts off of his debut LP, Home Again, including “I’m Getting Ready” and album opener “Tell Me a Tale”. “I’m Getting Ready” is a very delicate yet overwhelming powerful song that epitomizes the soulful lyrics and jazz influences that are at the core Kiwanuka’s sound. “Tell Me a Tale” further develops this theme by intertwining a faster jazz beat with soulful blues influenced vocals.

Terri Hemmert and Kiwanuka sat down to discuss his musical upbringing, his influences, and his brief stint opening for Adele last year. The 24 year old was raised in North London by his Ugandan parents who successfully fled from the brutal Amin Regime. He attended the University of Westminster’s school of Media, Arts, and Design to study music. He is an avid sports fan and is a supporter of the North London football club Tottenham Hotspur. Kiwanuka has been compared to Otis Redding and is heavily inspired by Chicago’s own Curtis Mayfield.

40 Years Of XRT

Download FREE Music

Connect With XRT On Facebook & Twitter