Where creativity meets connection
Kae Tempest has announced a series of album in-stores this month, to accompany his fifth studio album, Self Titled – which is released on Fri 4 July via Island Records. All this leads up to a UK and EU tour, which includes a night at the O2 Academy Brixton on Fri 8 Nov.
Brighton’s Resident Music will host the star on Tues 8 July, with fans being treated to highlights from his new 12-track album. It stands as Kae’s most intimate and revealing project to date.
Working with Fraser T Smith, the Grammy-winning producer behind Adele and Stormzy, sparked a flood of new ideas and unexpected directions. Fraser encouraged Kae to be both an active participant in production and guided him to write in the first person, to tell his own story. The result is a body of work that sees Kae reconnect with his Hip Hop roots while paying a gentle homage to contemporary pop — an exhilarating album from start to finish.
At its core, Self Titled is a love letter to Tempest’s younger self, offering a conversation across time, shaped by the people, places, and experiences that define him. Its guest appearances include Neil Tennant, Young Fathers, Connie Constance, and Tawiah. The album is both a bold new chapter and a deep reflection, positioning Kae Tempest at the forefront of contemporary music and storytelling.
Kae Tempest has released four critically acclaimed studio albums, as well as numerous books, plays and poetry collections, including Brand New Ancients, which saw him become the first person under 40 to receive the Ted Hughes Award in 2013. For his music, Kae won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song in 2024, following two previous Ivor Novello nominations in 2020 and a BRIT Award nomination in 2018. He has been shortlisted for the Mercury Prize twice (For Let Them Eat Chaos in 2017 and Everybody Down in 2014). In 2023 Kae was the subject of a BBC Arena documentary, Being Kae Tempest, a captivating insight into his musical and creative journey throughout a period of profound artistic and personal change. With this impressive list of accolades, it’s clear that Kae Tempest has firmly established himself as one of the most unique, thought-provoking, and critically acclaimed voices of his generation.
Kae Tempest comes to Brighton’s Resident Music on Tues 8 July 2025.
Images by Jesse Glazzard
SALT Staff Writer
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