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Kae Tempest

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Kae Tempest

Kae Tempest is an English spoken word performer, poet, recording artist, novelist and playwright. At the age of 16, Tempest was accepted into the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. In 2013, he won the Ted Hughes Award for his work Brand New Ancients. He was named a Next Generation Poet by the Poetry Book Society, a once-a-decade accolade. Tempest's albums Everybody Down and Let Them Eat Chaos have been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. An accompanying poetry book for the latter album (also titled Let Them Eat Chaos) was nominated for the Costa Book of the Year in the Poetry Category. His debut novel The Bricks That Built the Houses was a Sunday Times best-seller and won the 2017 Books Are My Bag Readers Award for Breakthrough Author. He was nominated as Best Female Solo Performer at the 2018 Brit Awards. Tempest came out as non-binary in 2020, then as a trans man in 2025.

Infobox

Born
1985 (age 39–40)Westminster, London, England
Occupation(s)
Poet, playwright, rapper, recording artist
Notable work
Hopelessly Devoted, Wasted, Brand New Ancients, Everybody Down, Hold Your Own, The Bricks That Built The Houses, Let Them Eat Chaos
Genres
Spoken word, hip-hop
Instrument
Vocals
Labels
American Recordings, Fiction, Big Dada, Ninja Tune, Lex, Gearbox Records
Website
www.kaetempest.co.uk
Occupations
Poet, playwright, rapper, recording artist

Tables

List of studio albums, with selected details and chart positions · Discography › Studio albums
UK
UK
Title
UK
Details
SCO
Balance(with Sound of Rum)
Balance(with Sound of Rum)
Title
Balance(with Sound of Rum)
Details
Released: 2011 Label: Formats: CD, cassette, digital download, streaming, vinyl
Peak chart positions
Peak chart positions
Brand New Ancients
Brand New Ancients
Title
Brand New Ancients
Details
Released: 2014 Label: Gearbox Records Formats: CD, cassette, digital download, streaming, vinyl
Peak chart positions
Peak chart positions
Everybody Down
Everybody Down
Title
Everybody Down
Details
Released: 2014 Label: Big Dada Formats: CD, cassette, digital download, streaming, vinyl
Peak chart positions
94
Peak chart positions
Let Them Eat Chaos
Let Them Eat Chaos
Title
Let Them Eat Chaos
Details
Released: 7 October 2016 Label: Fiction/Lex Formats: CD, cassette, digital download, streaming, vinyl
Peak chart positions
28
Peak chart positions
34
The Book of Traps and Lessons
The Book of Traps and Lessons
Title
The Book of Traps and Lessons
Details
Released: 14 June 2019 Label: American Recordings/Fiction Formats: CD, cassette, digital download, streaming, vinyl
Peak chart positions
30
Peak chart positions
26
The Line Is a Curve
The Line Is a Curve
Title
The Line Is a Curve
Details
Released: 8 April 2022 Label: American Recordings/Fiction Formats: CD, cassette, digital download, streaming, vinyl
Peak chart positions
8
Peak chart positions
4
Self Titled
Self Titled
Title
Self Titled
Details
Released: 4 July 2025 Label: Island Formats: CD, cassette, digital download, streaming, vinyl
Peak chart positions
25
Peak chart positions
3
"—" denotes recording that did not chart in that territory.
"—" denotes recording that did not chart in that territory.
Title
"—" denotes recording that did not chart in that territory.
Title
Details
Peak chart positions
UK
SCO
Balance(with Sound of Rum)
Released: 2011 Label: Formats: CD, cassette, digital download, streaming, vinyl
Brand New Ancients
Released: 2014 Label: Gearbox Records Formats: CD, cassette, digital download, streaming, vinyl
Everybody Down
Released: 2014 Label: Big Dada Formats: CD, cassette, digital download, streaming, vinyl
94
Let Them Eat Chaos
Released: 7 October 2016 Label: Fiction/Lex Formats: CD, cassette, digital download, streaming, vinyl
28
34
The Book of Traps and Lessons
Released: 14 June 2019 Label: American Recordings/Fiction Formats: CD, cassette, digital download, streaming, vinyl
30
26
The Line Is a Curve
Released: 8 April 2022 Label: American Recordings/Fiction Formats: CD, cassette, digital download, streaming, vinyl
8
4
Self Titled
Released: 4 July 2025 Label: Island Formats: CD, cassette, digital download, streaming, vinyl
25
3
"—" denotes recording that did not chart in that territory.

References

  1. On Connection
  2. Clash
    https://www.clashmusic.com/news/kate-tempest-changes-name-to-kae-tempest
  3. "kae tempest on Twitter"
    https://x.com/kaetempest/status/1291396030794260483
  4. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2014/sep/14/kate-tempest-poet-rapper-mercury-prize-profile
  5. New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/08/arts/kate-tempest.html
  6. Guardian Music Blog
    https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2014/oct/22/mercury-nominees-2014-kate-tempest
  7. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/11/next-generation-20-poets-poetry-book-society-kate-tempest
  8. mercuryprize.com
    https://www.mercuryprize.com/news/kate-tempest-let-them-eat-chaos
  9. "Costa shortlists"
    https://www.costa.co.uk/docs/past-shortlists.pdf
  10. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/nov/22/costa-book-award-2016-shortlists-dominated-by-female-writers-rose-tremain-maggie-o-farrell-sarah-perry
  11. "British Female Solo Artist Nominees Announced"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20230602070330/https://www.brits.co.uk/news/british-female-solo-artist-nominees-announced
  12. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/aug/06/kate-tempest-announces-they-are-non-binary-changes-name-to-kae
  13. NME
    https://www.nme.com/news/music/kae-tempest-self-titled-album-interview-2025-tracklist-3859114
  14. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/aug/06/kate-tempest-announces-they-are-non-binary-changes-name-to-kae
  15. The i Paper
    https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/being-kay-tempest-review-national-hero-2779692
  16. Arena - Being Kae Tempest
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001sxfm/arena-being-kae-tempest
  17. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/jul/04/kae-tempest-self-titled-review
  18. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/mar/27/wasted-paines-plough-review
  19. "Books Are My Bag Readers Awards 2017 sponsored by National Book Tokens"
    https://www.nationalbooktokens.com/vote
  20. "Christopher Logue is my favourite poet"
    https://x.com/kaetempest/status/296283552742518786
  21. the Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/stage/live/2016/dec/12/kate-tempest-webchat-let-them-eat-chaos
  22. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/16/theater/brand-new-ancients-stars-kate-tempest-in-a-tragic-tale.html
  23. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/sep/29/hopelessly-devoted-review
  24. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/19/books/review-kate-tempest-a-young-poet-conjuring-ancient-gods.html
  25. The Independent
    https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/kate-tempest-glastonbury-2017-west-holts-stage-watch-performance-latest-poems-a7805781.html
  26. The Stage
    https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/kate-tempest-everything-is-defined-in-monetary-terms
  27. volksbuehne.berlin
    https://web.archive.org/web/20180619112927/https://www.volksbuehne.berlin/en/programm/489/let-them-eat-chaos
  28. The Royal Society of Literature
    https://web.archive.org/web/20190516180133/https://rsliterature.org/fellow/kate-tempest/
  29. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/oct/09/kate-tempest-let-them-eat-chaos-review
  30. "2017:The Year of the Wolf"
    https://www.pressreader.com/uk/kerrang-uk/20161019/281496455812451
  31. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jul/27/2017-mercury-shortlist-british-music
  32. iSpot.tv
    https://www.ispot.tv/ad/nLM9/facebook-were-never-lost-if-we-can-find-each-other-song-by-kate-tempest
  33. National Theatre
    https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/paradise
  34. NME
    https://www.nme.com/news/music/new-letter-supporting-jeremy-corbyn-2568734
  35. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/03/vote-for-hope-and-a-decent-future
  36. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/03/coogan-klein-lead-cultural-figures-backing-corbyn-labour
  37. The Economist
    https://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2012/08/william-shakespeare
  38. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/sep/10/brand-new-ancients-review?INTCMP=SRCH
  39. "Kate Tempest: the performance poet who can't be ignored" Archived 17 July 2024 at the Wayback Machine 10 April 2013, Th
    https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/apr/10/kate-tempest-performance-poet-cant-be-ignored
  40. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2014/sep/14/kate-tempest-poet-rapper-mercury-prize-profile
  41. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/11/next-generation-20-poets-poetry-book-society-kate-tempest
  42. Official Charts Company
    https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/62390/kae-tempest/
  43. Rolling Stone
    https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/news/fraser-t-smith-shares-new-single-we-were-we-still-are-with-kae-tempest-25973/
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