5 hours ago
6
Award-winning singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka has revealed he has suffered a stroke and faces a "long, tough journey ahead" to recover.
The 39-year-old from London, who won the Mercury Prize in 2020 and has been nominated for five Brit Awards, said in an Instagram post that the stroke occurred "a few months ago" and was caused "by a bleed in my brain brought on by high blood pressure".
He added that "the brain injury I suffered was quite severe so there's a lot of rehab to be done", but told fans he will "look forward to seeing you all soon".
Kiwanuka simultaneously announced the release of his fifth album, titled Fudge, which was recorded before the stroke.
"I'm very happy to be announcing to you my new album Fudge," his message said.
"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."
