Kae Tempest’s new album THE LINE IS A CURVE will be released on April 8, 2022. It is said to be a record about “letting go of shame, fear and isolation”. The first single “More Pressure” in collaboration with Kevin Abstract has already been released. You can hear her stream below.
Tempest shares that THE LINE IS A CURVE is also about “accepting the cyclical nature of time, growth and love. That letting go is hopefully felt throughout the record. In the musicality, the instrumentation, in the text, expression and cover design. In the way it ends where it begins and begins where it ends.”
In addition to the aspect of letting go, communication was also a priority for Tempest. This is reflected in the collaboration with artists such as Kevin Abstract, Grian Chatten and Lianne La Havas. In addition, three vocal recordings were made in the presence of three generations on one studio day. In front of “a 78-year-old man I had never met, a 29-year-old woman, the poet Bridget Minamore, who is a good friend of mine, and then three young fans, ages 12, 15 and 16, who responded to a social media post,” Tempest said.
Once upon a time, Tempest’s work should speak for itself
With the new long player, Tempest doesn’t want to hide from the world anymore. That wasn’t something that used to be taken for granted: “With the last few records, I wanted to completely disappear from the album covers, from the videos and from the superficial aspects of this industry. A lot of this had to do with my shame, but I hid it behind a sincere desire for my work to speak for itself without letting me take center stage and commodifying what feels so unique and sacred to me. Sometimes I was annoyed that I had to present myself to present my work”.
Tempest continues: “But this time I understand it differently. I want people to feel welcomed by me, the person who made this record, and I’ve let go of some of my lighter concerns. I feel more solid about what I’m trying to do, who I am as an artist and as a person, and what I have to offer. I feel less shame because I’m not hiding from the world anymore.”
It will be a while before the new album is released in April, but the first single already gives a little foretaste:
In August 2020, Kae Tempest changed her name and declared herself gender neutral. This was accompanied by the desire to do without pronouns such as “she” or “he”. Tempest’s current album THE BOOK OF TRAPS AND LESSONS was released in June 2019 – a chamber music story produced by Rick Rubin and largely beat-free.