Polydor Records president Ben Mortimer and Starwood Management founder Robert Swerdlow have shed light on their strategy to take Michael Kiwanuka to new heights with his upcoming fourth album.
Small Changes - the follow-up to 2019's Mercury Prize-winning Kiwanuka (155,088 sales, Official Charts Company) - has just been released (November 22).
Mortimer told Music Week the 37-year-old's latest record marks a sonic departure from its acclaimed predecessor.
“Small Changes is a different kind of record [to Kiwanuka],” he said. “Less psychedelic, more intimate, with a focus on songs rather than big production. I’m confident people will love it."
All three of Kiwanuka's studio albums so far have gone gold: the singer-songwriter reached No.4 with his debut long-player, 2012's Home Again (181,356 sales), before hitting the top spot with 2016's Love & Hate (181,446 sales).
While the Kiwanuka LP peaked just short of the summit at No.2, the team are hopeful of going one better this time around - even if achieving that isn't the be-all and end-all.
Michael has already been around for over a decade, so it’s about how we ensure he’s still relevant and active in 20 years’ time
Ben Mortimer
"We certainly aim to have a No.1 record and will do all we can to ensure that," remarked Mortimer. "But saying that, the way people engage with Michael’s music is slow-burn. Listeners constantly return to his catalogue. So, the campaign’s success will not be defined by having a No.1.
“Michael has already been around for over a decade, so it’s about how we ensure he’s still relevant and active in 20 years’ time. We talked about artists like Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish and Arctic Monkeys. Artists who can have huge commercial moments but aren’t afraid to take bold creative steps with certain albums. That’s the way he’s thinking.”
Indeed, Kiwanuka - who starred on the cover of the October edition of Music Week - has been signed to Polydor since 2012 and sets himself "an extremely high benchmark" according to the label boss.
“We’ve worked with Michael for a long time, he was signed by Ferdy Unger-Hamilton before I worked here, and I’ve been here 12 years. So, there’s deep history here," explained Mortimer. "It works well as we really trust each other, we support him to take his time, and he knows that. Personally, I back his instinct and taste without question, and he’s loved throughout the entire global company.”
Swerdlow, Kiwanuka’s manager of 15 years, said he considered the musician to be a generational artist.
“We all believe deeply in Michael’s music,” he told Music Week. “There is a long-ball career that has been mapped out for him. The pressure is to keep the utmost integrity, and not buckle to trends and disingenuous opportunities.”
Alongside the recorded music aspect, another priority is to continue to build Kiwanuka's status on the live stage, where his agent is Angus Baskerville of Pure Represents.
Growing Michael’s live show with even more magical musicians and lifting the production value for the festivals has been very satisfying
Robert Swerdlow
“Growing Michael’s live show with even more magical musicians and lifting the production value for the festivals has been very satisfying,” said Swerdlow. “In the UK and internationally, the live rooms will be responsibly larger, but we will absolutely be doing some intimate acoustic gigs, too."
Currently, Kiwanuka is finishing up a co-headline tour of North America with Brittany Howard.
"Michael has a strong presence in that part of the world, so deepening the foundations there has real importance,” added Swerdlow. "Building Michael’s fanbase and universe is a massive one for us all. Each show will be recorded on a cassette and made available to our growing community, intertwined with conversations and interesting parts of the Michael Kiwanuka experience.”
The guitarist performed high-profile slots at Glastonbury, Wilderness and Green Man this summer, but won't be content with stopping there.
“He’s edging towards being a festival headliner now," concluded Mortimer. “Bigger stages, bigger global reach, bigger recognition. He deserves all of that.”
Subscribers can read the full Michael Kiwanuka cover story here.
