Bill Withers, Van Morrison and Marvin Gaye are pioneers in popular music for the last century, and these are people who have influenced me as well, s…

- Michael Kiwanuka

The worst thing for a singer/songwriter is to run out of songs.

- Michael Kiwanuka

By that point, I was about 12, 13 years old. I was this young black kid into rock music, which was kind of strange. People would always assume I'd be…

- Michael Kiwanuka

You always have in the back of your mind that would be cool if you get recognized. But you can't concentrate on any of those things. You've got to ju…

- Michael Kiwanuka

I remember listening to like gospel-y blues tunes. I'd just listen to the rhythm and the music was upbeat. Always upbeat if you get like a good rhyth…

- Michael Kiwanuka

Finding out that Ray Charles sang country songs but it sounded as soulful as any rhythm and blues record that kind of opened up my horizons for what …

- Michael Kiwanuka

The main thing in making your own music is that it's an expression of someone's personality and being. That's what people want to hear, and you can't…

- Michael Kiwanuka

Jimi Hendrix came on TV on this documentary and it was this African-American soulful black guy, playing an electric guitar, which I'd just started. A…

- Michael Kiwanuka

Listening to a lot of guitar rock and roll music and feeling quite eccentric because everyone expected me to learn and develop like R&B. This kind of…

- Michael Kiwanuka