Mercury Prize-winning singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka has spoken publicly for the first time about the devastating haemorrhagic stroke he suffered at the age of 38, revealing that the illness forced him to spend months in hospital and rehabilitation and put his music career on hold.

Kiwanuka was at home in Southampton in July 2025 after completing a series of European performances. His critically acclaimed 2024 album Small Changes had narrowly missed the top spot on the UK albums chart, while his fifth record, Fudge, was scheduled for release later that year.

His plans changed suddenly when he became seriously ill. In an announcement posted to Instagram, his team said he would be unable to perform at the remainder of his scheduled summer festivals and North American shows because of ongoing illness and medical advice.

For months afterwards, Kiwanuka disappeared from public view. Fudge was not released and his social media accounts went quiet. He has now revealed that he suffered a haemorrhagic stroke and required emergency surgery.

According to his team, Kiwanuka spent months in intensive care, where he required assistance with breathing. He has no memory of that period. After he was able to breathe independently, he remained in hospital for another five months before moving to a rehabilitation centre in Hampshire.

He has not been able to return home since becoming ill, and the future course of his recovery remains uncertain. Despite the difficult circumstances, he decided to release Fudge in October and give one interview about the album.

“It feels poignant to do it now after I got sick, because I don’t know how long it will be until I can release another record,” Kiwanuka said.

Speaking from the rehabilitation centre during two 30-minute calls, Kiwanuka was accompanied by his wife, Christian singer and worship leader Charlotte Kiwanuka. His speech remained slow and fragmented as he continued his recovery, and he made clear that some details of the stroke were too traumatic to discuss.

The normally private musician said going public about his condition was difficult but also felt like a responsibility. He wanted fans to understand why he had disappeared and hoped that sharing his experience could help others.

Kiwanuka said his stroke was caused by high blood pressure, a condition he had not known he had because he experienced no warning symptoms. He said he had not previously considered himself at particular risk and did not know whether his demanding career as a touring musician had contributed.

He said he now understands that Black African men have a higher susceptibility to high blood pressure and related health risks. Had he known earlier, he said, he would have had his blood pressure checked and sought treatment.

Dr Maëva May of the Stroke Association said higher rates of high blood pressure and diabetes among Black African and African-Caribbean communities can increase the risk of stroke. She said earlier blood-pressure checks and monitoring for diabetes could help people identify risks sooner.

May also noted that stroke at Kiwanuka’s age was unusual. She said emerging research suggested that high levels of stress and long working hours might be associated with stroke among some younger people, although she stressed that there were not yet clear answers about the relationship.

Before his illness, Kiwanuka had been experiencing a particularly successful period in his career. His 2016 song Cold Little Heart became widely known after appearing in the opening credits of the television drama Big Little Lies, while all four of his albums had reached the UK Top 10. His 2019 album Kiwanuka won the Mercury Prize in 2020.

His musical confidence had also grown through his long-term collaboration with producer Danger Mouse, whose alternative hip-hop and psychedelic influences resonated with Kiwanuka. During his last tour, the singer also embraced his Ugandan heritage, performing with an acoustic guitar while wearing a kanzu tunic.

Fudge was created differently from his previous records. It was Kiwanuka’s first self-produced album and began taking shape while he was working on Small Changes. He brought members of his live band into a small Southampton studio called Dreamers, where they developed songs through informal jam sessions.

The album was built around live collaboration and spontaneous performances. Kiwanuka recalled one recording session in which the song Love in My Heart emerged almost instinctively as he and his musicians played together.

He said the record represented a move toward simpler and more personal music, concentrating on melody, lyrics and vocals rather than elaborate production. Much of the album was recorded live, with musicians making creative decisions in the moment.

Although Fudge was completed before his stroke, Kiwanuka now hears new meaning in some of its lyrics. The song California, for example, reflects on ideas of home and happiness, while the blues-influenced track Stars includes lyrics about losing the ability to feel.

Kiwanuka said the words of Stars now feel particularly relevant after his illness. The song had originally been written years earlier, during a period when he had struggled to create new music.

Rehabilitation has become a day-by-day process. Kiwanuka said he remains grateful for the support of the NHS and medical professionals, although daily therapy sessions can be exhausting.

His recovery has involved stretching and exercises designed to rebuild physical function after the brain injury affected pathways connecting parts of his body. He has also undergone speech therapy after the breathing tube used during his treatment affected his vocal cords and reduced the volume of his voice.

Music has played an important role in his recovery. Kiwanuka said singing along to songs by Bob Dylan and the Beach Boys helped him regain his voice and improve his ability to speak. Some of the breathing exercises used in his rehabilitation also resemble techniques he previously used while touring.

Writing has provided another outlet. During his time in hospital, he wrote lyrics about his emotions and the experience of crying. He said the stroke affected his ability to regulate his tears, causing him to cry uncontrollably.

He described his recovery as a mixture of hope, anger, sadness, loss and grief. At the same time, he said allowing himself to experience those emotions had become therapeutic.

It remains unclear when Kiwanuka will be able to return to live performances. All of his live commitments are currently on hold, but he says his desire to create music remains strong.

He is considering relying more heavily on collaboration in the future, allowing other musicians to play instruments he previously handled himself and potentially reducing the amount of travel and late-night work involved in touring.

For Kiwanuka, releasing Fudge represents more than the arrival of an album that was delayed by illness. He sees the music as evidence that an important part of his identity remains intact despite the stroke.

“A stroke can take away a lot of things, but it can’t take those songs away,” he said. “So I’ve got hope from that. Who I was still exists in those songs and in that music.”

SOURCE: The Guardian, Jason Okundaye, September 25, 2026.