On the road with Michael Kiwanuka

Michael Kiwanuka sits across the table, sipping a coffee. It’s late afternoon and the Mercury Prize winner has been shooting around various Kentish Town hotspots all day — including outside the prime minister’s favourite pub, The Pineapple (which Kiwanuka just happened to have lived on the same road as until he and his wife relocated to Southampton six years ago). Nevertheless, the artist doesn’t seem to need a caffeinated pick-me- up. He’s palpably excited to have spent the day in north London. “We even bumped into my old neighbour,” he says, beaming. “We chatted to him. It was perfect.” It takes a while for us to get off the subject of Kentish Town and the hidden gems buried behind the “higgedly- piggedly” high street, as Kiwanuka, 37, puts it.

He grew up only a few miles down the road, in Muswell Hill, so it’s hard to see why the artist ever left north London. He reels off some of the usual culprits — the perpetual lack of space in the city, the unavoidable noise. It’s clear, however, that the move to Southampton (in true Kiwanuka fashion) was mostly to benefit his family, which currently comprises his wife and two young kids. “My wife always dreamed of having a big dog, a labrador,” he says. “It’s hard to have a big dog in London.” With friends already in the area and the flexibility to work anywhere, it seems the transition was easier than expected. “It’s sweet, man,” Kiwanuka says breezily. “Nice suburban areas and greenery. If I had it my way though, I’d have them talk about the Titanic a bit less.” He laughs. “There’s definitely a life stage you need to be at when you’re happy to move, though.”