Michael Kiwanuka is back with “Beautiful Life,” his first new music in two years. Stream the track below.
Serving as the title music for the new Netflix documentary Convergence: Courage in a Crisis, “Beautiful Life” was recorded in London with producer St Francis Hotel. Kiwanuka’s rich voice is enough to shake listeners out of their doldrums as he belts lyrics like, “I was caught in a nightmare/ Now we’re breathing the same air/ I live my life in a daydream/ All the colors are so clean.”
“In this song I wanted to focus on the feeling that there’s a real strength in the human spirit when you try to look for beauty even in difficult situations,” explained the Mercury Prize winner in a statement. “Of course, in some situations that becomes more and more difficult. But I just wanted to ponder on that and wonder what life would be like if I lived it like that.”
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He added, “Ultimately whatever people feel from hearing the song is ok with me. But what I was trying to emit through the music was a feeling of defiance. A feeling of strength through adversity.”
“Beautiful Life” follows 2019’s Kiwanuka, which netted the English singer-songwriter his aforementioned Mercury Prize as well as a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album. Kiwanuka is currently working on his next record.
In the meantime, he will embark on a 2022 UK tour taking place next May, followed by an opening date for Liam Gallagher and an appearance at Green Man Festival. See the full schedule below and pick up tickets here.
Michael Kiwanuka 2022 Tour Dates:
05/06 – Glasgow, UK @ O2 Academy
05/08 – Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy
05/09 – Leicester, UK @ De Montford Hall
05/11 – Cambridge, UK @ Corn Exchange
05/13 – Blackpool, UK @ Empress Ballroom
05/14 – Hull, UK @ Bonus Arena,
05/17 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
05/18 – Newcastle, UK @ O2 City Hall
05/20 – Brighton, UK @ Brighton Centre
05/21 – Plymouth, UK @ Pavilions
05/23 – Brixton, UK @ O2 Academy
05/25 – London, UK @ Alexandra Palace
06/04 – Hertfordshire, UK @ Knebworth Park*
08/08 – Edinburgh, UK @ Summer Sessions
08/18-21 – Brecon Beacons, UK @ Green Man Festival
* = w/ Liam Gallagher
