Kae Tempest

He graduated in English Literature from Goldsmiths, University of London in 2008 and was awarded an Honorary Fellowship during the Goldsmiths Summer Graduation Ceremonies 2026.

He has released five 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 and 2026, following two previous Ivor Novello nominations in 2020 and a BRIT Award nomination in 2018.

He has been shortlisted for the Mercury Prize twice (for Let Them Eat Chaos in 2017 and Everybody Down in 2014). In 2023 Kae 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.

Speaking at the Graduation ceremony, Kae said: "Goldsmiths is really special to me, as a local resident of the area and just as a place that symbolises so much in terms of transformation in my life."

He then performed a meaningful piece compiled from lines and lyrics from bodies of work he has produced every year since 2008, when he graduated from Goldsmiths, encouraging the graduating students to seize the creative momentum for the years to come as they take their next steps after university.

Kae Tempest is one of the most unique, thought-provoking, and critically acclaimed voices of his generation.