Following his impactful performance at Glastonbury and the recent release of his uplifting new album 'Self-Titled', Kae Tempest is feeling contemplative, thrilled, and fortunate all at once. Most importantly, he's in touch with himself.
As he juggles a busy tour schedule, Kae Tempest is bustling around a hotel lobby in Paris, searching for a quiet spot to talk, offering sincere apologies as he moves. The poet, playwright, rapper, and recording artist has misplaced his glasses in the chaos of "life in transit," so he’s reluctantly donning his sunglasses. “I’m really sorry,” he says, shaking his head. “They’re prescription! I’m not trying to be, like, a cool rapper…” Today, Kae is chatting with DIY just days after his electrifying set on Glastonbury’s Park Stage, which ended with a powerful acapella rendition of ‘Self-Titled’ opener ‘I Stand on the Line’. This defiant celebration of hope, joy, and resilience against ignorance and bigotry reflects the peace Kae has found, and the strength derived from the queer community and legacy. “Please, we have to keep living. Please, keep living. Please, keep living through it,” he urged, visibly buzzing with anxious, potent energy. “I knew something was going to happen,” Kae recalls. “I knew I was going to be lifted.” Describing the connection he felt with the audience that day, he gestures to trace the shape of an infinity symbol: “The energy that I felt coming back from the crowds… it was just this constant thing, everything felt so charged and alive. I decided in that moment to finish acapella, and as terrifying as it was, I knew it was significant.” Kae mentions that he was also acutely aware that the performance was being filmed and broadcasted, which further inspired him to remove his top during the act. “It could actually save someone’s life,” he shares, “seeing me on stage saying, ‘Please keep living through it’ with my scars visible, looking healthy and happy. If I had seen that, it would have affected me. Despite my fears of upsetting people or facing backlash from those who see my body as a mutilation or whatever, I believe it’s crucial. It felt right. I felt comfortable, clear, and connected within the community. There were numerous beautiful trans people in the audience,” he adds, “and then it just felt like, fucking tops off!” he laughs. “Let’s go!”
While he felt a sense of duty before that particular show, Kae notes that creating and recording in the studio is an entirely different experience. “When I’m in the studio making work, I don’t think about responsibility to a community. That matters to me in my daily life, but when I’m engaging with ideas, I’m not focused at all on the final outcome. I’m down in the fucking engine room. I’m creating the work. All I think about is: what does it want from me? What does it want to be? How do I give it what it needs? How do I receive it? How do I facilitate its growth? Then, once the idea is completed, you realize what you’ve created. At that point, you might think, ‘maybe this will mean something to someone because I’ve shared my truth’. I hope it feels inclusive rather than exclusive. I truly want people who have experienced similar things to feel a connection to it. But I also hope that those who’ve never faced what I have can find some resonance as well.
As James Joyce says, ‘In the particular is contained the universal,’” Kae adds. “The moment a song is finished, the experience that birthed it becomes somewhat irrelevant. It’s now a song, and from that point on, you have no control over it.”
“I thought it would be quite bold [to name the album ‘Self-Titled’], because it signifies a beginning as well as a continuation.”
DIY last spoke with Kae Tempest at length quite some time ago, leading up to the release of his second album ‘Let Them Eat Chaos’. On that occasion, Kae was a thoughtful and introspective presence, eager to discuss what he referred to as “the mythology of the everyday” over a pint, but he seemed a bit uneasy whenever the discussion turned towards his own life or personal accomplishments as an acclaimed artist across various mediums including music, spoken word, poetry, prose, and theatre.
A decade later, one can’t help but notice a marked transformation in Kae, which is also evident in his music. Instead of narrating and exploring the lives of others, Kae has often assumed the role of the central narrator in both ‘Self-Titled’ and his previous album ‘The Line is a Curve’; while he still reflects societal issues in tracks like the jazz-infused ‘Til Morning’ and
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After his impactful performance at Glastonbury and the release of his uplifting new album ‘Self-Titled’, Kae Tempest is experiencing a mix of reflection, excitement, and gratitude. Above all, he is in tune with himself.