It’s a relief to hear good news from Michael Kiwanuka. After suffering a stroke several months ago, the singer-songwriter revealed he’s on the path to recovery and that his next album, Fudge, is coming October 23 via Polydor. The project, his first self-produced effort since his 2012 debut, was written “almost concurrently” with the songwriting sessions for 2024’s Small Changes.

In a note posted to Instagram, Kiwanuka explained that his stroke was the result of bleeding in his brain due to high blood pressure: “The brain injury I suffered was quite severe so there’s a lot of rehab to be done. It’s a long, tough journey ahead, but I’m fighting to get better.” The full note can be found below.

Instead of passing off the production of Fudge to Danger Mouse and Inflo, his usual collaborators, Kiwanuka decided to tackle the work himself with help from producer Dom Monks and his strings collaborator Rosie Danvers. That decision was in part inspired by stumbling upon an interview with jazz pianist Chick Corea, in which he said, “You have to learn to be certain about what you like, not what you think sounds good to someone else… Whatever you think is beautiful, that’s what’s beautiful, and you have to pursue that.”

Fudge:
01 Summer Clothes
02 California
03 Just Another Moment
04 Drowning in Your Heart
05 Love in My Heart
06 Across the Sky
07 Stars
08 You Sent Me Flying
09 Move in My Direction
10 Steve’s Paradise
11 Sing
12 Swings and Roundabouts

Michael Kiwanuka:

I’m very happy to be announcing to you my new album FUDGE. I’m especially happy because the last few months I’ve been battling some health problems which would heavily hinder and get in the way of me making music for the foreseeable future.

A few months ago I suffered a stroke brought on by a bleed in my brain brought on by high blood pressure. It’s a long journey recovering from a stroke, which is why I missed some gigs recently out in the US, but I look forward to seeing you all soon.

I’m not sure when I’ll be able to be back out on the road or what that will look like, the brain injury I suffered was quite severe so there’s a lot of rehab to be done, it’s a long, tough journey ahead but I’m fighting to get better. It has been a difficult few months I must say but it feels like I’m on my way there now.