Kae Tempest has shared the empowering New Single 'Know Yourself' and Spoken to Nme About His Upcoming Self-Titled Album, Which He Has Novenced Toray (April 30).
Tempest's Fifth Studio Album Will Be Released On July 4 Via Island Records, and Has Been Co-Produced by Fraser T Smith (Adele, Stormzy, Dave). The Record Will Also Feature The Likes of Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant, Young Fathers and Connie Constance.
Last March, The Rapper, Poet and Playwright Kicked Off With His Newst Music Since 2022's 'Line is a Curve', The Striking Single 'Statue in The Square'.
Now, he shares his latest single 'Know Yourself', Along With the News of His Upcoming Fifth Studio Album. With Queer Icons Like Princess Julia, Joelle Taylor, Sweatmother, Debbie Smith, and Dr Ronx Sagaring in The Music Video, 'Know Yourself' is another Celebrated Track dedicated to Tempest's Own Perseverance and Self-Belief.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5vwee6Syzs
Here, Tempest Tells Nme About What is Undoubtedly His Most Intimate And Personal Record Yet, Along with the Importance of Writing About Queer Joy, Collaborating With Fraser T Smith, and His Legacy So Far.
NME: Hey Kae! Tell US About How This Album Came To Be …
Kae Tempest: “It Came About Very Naturally. I Was Trying to Make This Other Album and I Played a coupe of Demos to Fraser and He Said, 'I Don't Think This is what's Meant to be Coming Out of You Right Now. Let's Start Again and see What Happens' Like Being Caught in A Strong Current.
“One of the Things That I Found Really Helpful About His Companionhip in The Studio is His Guidance, Asking Me to Writite What Only I Could Write. What is it that Only I Can Say, That no Other Lyricist in the UK Can Say? Well, It's My Story, Going Through.
This album Sees You Directly Referencing The Realities of Your Life Right Now As A Nonblyary Person. We're in Quite a Torbulent Time Right Now When discussing the Trans/Nonbinary Community. Did you feel the weight of That Responsibility At All Whilst You Were Writing?
“It's Not Like I Feel The Weight of A ResponSability. It was important for me to show up for my community, to show up for myself being a trans man and a non binary person. These are just crucial elements of my make-up.
“IF I'm Being Celebration and Honest and Uncompromising About Express MySelf, There's Some Freedom That Will as in Terms of Other People's Owel Feels About What they May Not Feel Comfortable Express Amongst Friends, Family or in Public.”
This album Ends on Quite in Hopeful Note. How do you Find the Energy to Continue To Be Radically Empathetic in Times Where There's So Much Hatred?
“I Don't Focus MySelf in That Hatred. There's Always Been This Hateful Response to the Tyrannical Hold of What I would Classify AS Post-Capitalist Post-Industrialist Society. We've Been Living in This for Hundreds and Hundreds of Years.
“For me, What's More Helpful and Beautiful to Focus on is the Resilience That's Also a part of the Human Make-up and the Connection that I Feel with Community, That I Feel With All Other Human Beings-To Go Underneath the Rage, Hysteria and Blame to the Place WHER WERE All all Resonating At A Similar Frequency.
“That's Some Real Shit. That's More Real To Me Than 2000 People Feel Hatred For Each Other, Even Though I Know that it's a Really Devastating Proposition to Think of How We Live Right Now.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atdofaaceyc
In The Music Video For Your New Single 'Know Yourself', You've Got Queer Icons Like Princess Julia and Trans Man Dancing Joyfully in the background. Could you talk about the concept of the video?
“People are obsese about How Difficult Being Trans Is. Being Trans Isn't Difficault, It's Fucking Extraordinariily Beautiful. What's Difficault is being in the Closet, Hiding From Yourself, Lying to Yourself, Living Death of Self Denial and Pushing Who You Are Down SO Down that youU. Can't Function Being Out in the Open.
“I Think the Videos and the Songs, They're celebrations. Finally, The Difficault part is over now – The Difficulty is out there. But if you're not facing that in yours, The Hatretd I Get from Other People, That's Nothing Compared to the Fear, Pain and Hatred I Was Giving MySelf. That transition Has Solidified My Resilience Against What I Can face the world.
You've teamed up with Fraser T Smith for this Record. What's Fraser Like As a Person and How Have His Skills Inspired You To Make This Album?
“Thanks for Asking that question, it's nice for me to Think About Fraser. He Just Gets Really Excited by the Process. He's an Incredible Musician, He Plays Every Instrument in the Studio. He Has This Freedom About Him Because he has Nothing To Test, So He's Really Happy to Pursue An idea Long Way.
“He's Also The Only Person Ever in My Life That's Given Me A Performance Note! Like No One's Ever Given Me A Performance Note – they've Given Me General Notes, But Fraser's Literally Giving Me Notes About Hanging Back On Certain Pushes that I Might Make In My Flow, Which No One's Ever Done.
Speaking of Collaborations, Were You Also Previusly Friends With Any of the Collaboration on This Record, Like Young Fathers, Connie or Neil?
“I've Been Friends with Young Fathers for About 10 Years. Connie, Same: Just Love What She Does Too. Neil, No, We'd Never Met, But Obviously Adore and Cherish That Human Being. And I'm very grateful for the beacon that he lit.”
One of the Highlights of this New Record is 'Breathe', Which Is Six Minutes of Relentless Emotion and Energy – Done in One Take, Right?
“Yeah, that was the direct response of Fraser Saying to me, 'What is it that Only you can say right now?' Rick Ruben Said That to Me Before As Well, But Sometimes I Resist That – I'm like, 'Why Can't I Just Write? But because of What's Happening in My Life, the Thoughs, 'Ok, Maybe I'm Ready'.
It's Been Over a decade Since Your Debut Album 'Everybody Down'. What Does the Word “Legacy” Mean to you? Do you think about it?
“Sometimes I take stock and i just feel grateful, pitched i can remember when it it was a dream; when nobody would listen to me or sign me and my friend had to be like, 'listen to my budrin!' Goosebump Moment of, 'Wow, This Kid That Was So Driven, How Did they know?'
“The Main Thing That I Think About Really, in Terms of Legacy, is the Next Piece, The Next Idea. The way My Brain Works is I'm the Idea That I'm Working On, and then I'm in My Peripheral the Next Two or Three ideas that know I'm Not Allewed to look at Because I Don't have the HeadSpace to Look at Them. Creating the work out of it.
That's insane …
“[Laughs] That's Just How It's Always Been, Though! Before, i Had to do More Because Nobody Was Listening. I know the was likes, Fuck It, I've Just Got to do Everything – That's The Only Way I'm Going to Fucking Smash These Doors Down. I would have any or six things i was doing at the same time. Thank God for ADHD! “
Kae Tempest Will Release Self-Titled On Friday July 4. Check out the tracklist Below
'The stands on the line'
'Statue in The Square'
'Know Yourself'
'Sunshine on Catford'
'Bless the Bold Future'
'Everything All Together'
'Prayers to whisper'
'Diagnoses'
'Hyperdistillation'
'Forever'
'Breathe'
'Till Morning'
