Kae Tempest Announces New Album With 'Know Yourself' Video
(TOC) Acclaimed musician, poet and author Kae Tempest returns with his fifth studio album, Self Titled, set for release July 4 via Island Records. The 12-track album is BRIT and two time Mercury Music Prize nominee Kae's most intimate and revealing project to date. Self Titled not only explores who Kae is as an artist, it reaches into the essence of Kae as a person. It's bold, witty, and, at times, profoundly moving, in ways that surprise and linger.
A new single, "Know Yourself" has also been revealed today, along with a video filmed in London's oldest barber shop. Kae says of the track, "I love this song. It samples a lyric I wrote years ago, where my younger self is talking to their younger self. A dialogue between selves across time, in real time. Or maybe I could put that simpler - When I was young I sought help from my older self. I came into my head, I told me know yourself."
At its core, Self Titled is a love letter to Tempest's younger self - a conversation across time, shaped by the people, places, and experiences that define him. Guest appearances include Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant, Young Fathers, Connie Constance, and Tawiah. The album is both a bold new chapter and a deep reflection, positioning Kae Tempest at the forefront of contemporary music and storytelling.
Working with Fraser T Smith, the GRAMMY-winning producer behind Adele and Stormzy for the first time on an album, sparked a union that saw a flood of new ideas and unexpected directions. Fraser encouraged Kae to be both an active participant in production and guided him to write in the first person, to tell his own story.
The result is a body of work that sees Kae reconnect with his Hip Hop roots while paying a gentle homage to contemporary pop - an exhilarating album from start to finish.
Kae kicked off the year with a headline appearance at BBC Radio 6 Music Festival and a handful of sold out underplay shows in March - offering an early glimpse of new material to an electrified response from both fans and critics. The album's first single, "Statue In The Square", was released in March - a raw, rhythmic track driven by Tempest's signature fast flow and hard-hitting lyrics. Its accompanying video, filmed in Deptford, features a powerful lineup of influential community voices, including Princess Julia, Joelle Taylor, Sweatmother, Debbie Smith, and Dr Ronx, capturing the track's urgent energy in celebratory fashion.
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