British singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka says he is “fighting to get better” and has “a long tough journey ahead” after revealing he suffered a stroke.
The 39-year-old singer, best known for his song Home Again, said he had a bleed in his brain brought on by high blood pressure a few months ago.
The award-winning musician, said the brain injury “was quite severe” and forced him to cancel a number of summer festival appearances as well as his shows opening for Mumford And Sons in the US.
He also announced the release of his new album Fudge, which was recorded before the stroke.
In a post shared on Instagram, he said: “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.
“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.”
He went on to thank the “incredible” NHS staff and medical professionals who have helped him and who continue to encourage him in his recovery as well as his friends and family for their support.
He added: “This has definitely been one of the toughest challenges I’ve faced and I’ll be happy to be on the other side of it when the time comes.
“Until then I wish you all well and look forward to seeing you further down the road.”
Stars including fellow singers, Olivia Dean and Self Esteem as well as comedian Romesh Ranganathan flooded the comment section sharing their support for the singer.
Kiwanuka released his debut album, Home Again in 2012 followed by his chart-topping record, Love And Hate in 2016.
In 2020 he won the Mercury Prize for his third record, Kiwanuka, which placed second on the albums chart.
