Master of soul

Commercial success has taken Michael Kiwanuka quite by surprise, Ed Power reports

MICHAEL Kiwanuka can’t believe it. “When I hear my songs on the radio it’s a strange feeling,” says the London singer-songwriter. “I don’t regard what I do as commercial music. I never guessed I’d end up on the BBC Radio 1 playlist. That is a strange feeling.”

It’s nearly five months since Kiwanuka topped Britain’s influential Sound Of poll. It has proved a passport to overnight fame. He has gone on to notch up several hit singles and a smash album. Backstage in Wolverhampton, he still seems to be taking it all in.