Michael Kiwanuka Reveals Stroke, Announces New Album Fudge — SkimNews
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Michael Kiwanuka disclosed in an Instagram post that he suffered a stroke "a few months ago" caused by a bleed in his brain brought on by high blood pressure, calling the brain injury "quite severe"
- Kiwanuka simultaneously announced his fifth album Fudge, which was recorded before the stroke and was originally scheduled for release last year before being postponed
- Kiwanuka said he doesn't know when he'll return to touring, confirming the stroke forced him to cancel recent US gigs and that "there's a lot of rehab to do"
- Kiwanuka thanked NHS staff and medical professionals for their care, calling the stroke "one of the toughest challenges I've faced"
- Kiwanuka, 39, won the Mercury Prize in 2020 with his third album and was named BBC Sound of 2012; Mojo described Fudge as an "intimate" and "brooding" record influenced by Neil Young's On The Beach
- Kiwanuka cancelled all live shows in July 2025 on medical advice citing "continued illness," before publicly identifying the cause as a stroke
Why it matters: The 39-year-old Mercury Prize winner's touring future is now uncertain indefinitely due to a severe brain injury, meaning fans will receive his new album Fudge without the usual live rollout — and his July 2025 show cancellations, previously attributed to vague "continued illness," now have an explicit medical explanation.
Ask SkimNews
