Kae Tempest to Release Fifth Album 'Self Titled' in July

Acclaimed musician, playwright and author Kae Tempest is returning with his fifth studio album, Self Titled, set for release July 4 via Island Records. A new single, “Know Yourself” is now available. 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.

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.

Kae Tempest has released four critically acclaimed studio albums, as well as numerous books, plays and poetry collections, including Brand New Ancients, which saw him become the first person under 40 to receive the Ted Hughes Award in 2013. For his music, Kae won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song in 2024, following two previous Ivor Novello nominations in 2020 and a BRIT Award nomination in 2018.

Kae has been shortlisted for the Mercury Prize twice (For Let Them Eat Chaos in 2017 and Everybody Down in 2014). In 2023 he was the subject of a BBC Arena documentary ‘Being Kae Tempest’, a captivating insight into his musical and creative journey throughout a period of profound artistic and personal change. With this impressive list of accolades, it’s clear that Kae Tempest has firmly established himself as one of the most unique, thought-provoking, and critically acclaimed voices of their generation.