On Connection: 'Powerful' MATT HAIG (Faber Social)

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This whole album, and this process, and me coming out, is me squaring myself with the idea of what being a musician is,” they say, “and how that differs from being a playwright or an author, where you can be less visible.” Part of Tempest longs for that invisibility. “At the same time, what am I scared of? It’s my life.” Maybe, they say, openness might be healing. “The pain of what it used to be – to be interviewed or on telly, that pain is also about [gender] dysphoria,” they say. “And because I’m doing something to treat that, maybe it’s not going to hurt this time.”

It's been the prime function of my life. It's how I solidify friendships, it's how I have fun, it's how I made my name in my neighbourhood, and then in the wider world," they explain.At some point in the book Tempest recalls how they met a homeless person who carried a poetry book with him that connected him with his mother who gave the book to him. It brought him comfort. In October 2020, Faber published Kae’s first work of non-fiction, On Connection, a “sonorous, humane polemic, advocating the values of sharing, authenticity and creativity over the heightened individualism, competitiveness and consumerism that dominate our society today… a powerful remedy and an urgent call for change.’ On Connection came to me when I needed it most, and reminded me that the links we have to places, people, words, ourselves, are what keep us alive.’ Everybody Down was nominated for the 2015 Mercury Music Prize and Let Them Eat Chaos have been nominated for the 2017 Mercury Music Prize. Their accompanying poetry book Let Them Eat Chaos was nominated for the Costa Book of the Year in the Poetry Category in 2016. They were nominated as Best Female Solo Performer at the 2018 Brit Awards. Creative connection brings a person closer to themselves when they have started to drift," they write in On Connection.

In November 2019, along with other public figures, Tempest signed a letter supporting Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn describing him as "a beacon of hope in the struggle against emergent far-right nationalism, xenophobia and racism in much of the democratic world" and endorsed him in the 2019 UK general election. [31] In December 2019, along with 42 other leading cultural figures, they signed a letter endorsing the Labour Party under Corbyn's leadership in the 2019 general election. The letter stated that "Labour's election manifesto under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership offers a transformative plan that prioritises the needs of people and the planet over private profit and the vested interests of a few." [32] [33] Reception [ edit ] Hoewel creativiteit en hun leven als muzikante en woordenaar de rode draad lijken te vormen, gaat het essay over de kunst van het leven. Met vallen. Hard vallen. En weer opstaan. Their mastery of music and language is due in no small part to years spent beat-making and rapping on the streets of South London as a teen – and it gives a particular charge to their style of performance. But Tempest isn’t talking about merely missing a good night out at a gig or show. On Connection looks at creativity as a means of counteracting the numbness of the modern world. We get so caught up in an ever-spinning consumerist hamster wheel that we neglect what is true within ourselves and one another. “In a disconnected state, self-awareness is one of the first frequencies to be scooped out and muted,” they write. “When this happens, I need creativity to reconnect me.” Anyone who has seen Tempest live has likely witnessed their talent for sparking connection Join Tempest as they reflect on the nature of creativity and connection in conversation with comedian and writer Athena Kugblenu, broadcast from our Royal Festival Hall.

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They recall a particularly low point about 15 years ago: "I was drinking a lot. It was a bit of a weird time in my life and things were really chaotic." Tempest is on more solid ground expressing themselves through their work, and their latest offering is no exception. Next month sees the release of their fourth solo album, The Line Is a Curve. Their first two albums received Mercury prize nominations. Tempest has already written three plays, a novel and six poetry books and last year published On Connection, their debut work of nonfiction. “But it’s starting to hit me how different this album is from everything else,” they say, “how far it could potentially go. It’s reaching for something beyond what the others have been.” They were determined to succeed as a performer. But being so visible came with its own set of challenges. Suddenly they were “she” and “her” in the press; nominated in the best female category. Interviews could feel treacherous. It’s not that dysphoria ever went away, but with all eyes on them, Tempest didn’t know how to engage with it.