Kae Tempest on Gender Euphoria, Transition, and New Music

A poet, rapper, musician, playwright, novelist and essayist, Kae Tempest is adept at expressing himself through his art.

At 28, Tempest became the youngest winner of the prestigious Ted Hughes Award for his epic poem Brand New Ancients.

His first two solo albums, Everybody Down and Let Them Eat Chaos, were both nominated for the Mercury Prize, which is awarded to the best album released by a British or Irish act.

He's collaborated with Rick Rubin, been nominated for a Brit Award, and won the Silver Lion at the Venice International Theatre Festival.

It was the polymath's prodigious output that helped him realise he needed to transition.

"It got to a point, I think I was hiding in my work," says Tempest, now 41.

"As long as my work was going all right, I could deal with the fact that when I was back from tour, I often would collapse and wouldn't be able to move and would go into some kind of depression."

He didn't realise the way his mental health was impacting his physical health, too.

"As long as it didn't show up on the tour bus, or it didn't show up when I was sitting at my desk with something to deliver, or as long as it didn't come into the studio, I could kind of think that it was just normal," he says.

"[But] finally, when it turned up at work, which for me is my reason for being, that's when I realised that something was different because I was unable to function."

This disconnect between his public persona and private self took the form of panic attacks on stage, which Tempest experienced for many years. However, affirming his gender last year has renewed Tempest's love for performing live.

"When I was younger, [music] was always the place where I could flourish and thrive," Tempest says.

"Being behind a mic on stage was the place where I kind of left everything behind and went to the divine – it was really the most euphoric, uplifting, connected place for me.

"Or, like, it was there, but I couldn't really reach him."

It's not just internally that Tempest's gender euphoria manifests itself, but also in the way he connects with his audience.

"It's so wonderful to go out on stage at the moment," says Tempest.

"I'm back in the room and I can use all of the things that I've learned over 20 years of being on stage."

Overcoming fear and embracing change

Released to widespread critical acclaim, Tempest's most recent album, Self Titled, is a paean to the trans and gender diverse community, a glimpse into his own transition, and a rallying cry to reject rising anti-trans sentiment.

Self Titled is also the first album where Tempest had to learn how best to use his new, distinctly more masculine register.

When he started to medically transition, he didn't really know what was going to happen to his voice.

"It's kind of like an instrument you've played before, but slightly new," he says.

"I was working with my voice the way it was for a long time and there's things about my voice post transition that I haven't yet got my head around, but it's exciting.

"It's total joy. It feels great."

Despite the excitement, fear about how his voice might change deterred Tempest from transitioning earlier.

"I used to think, 'Oh, I'll never be able to transition, I'll never be able to do it'," he says.

"[Or] like 'maybe when I'm out of the public eye, maybe when my career's over' … maybe when I'm 60 or something [and] I don't want to make music anymore."

Tempest pauses to reflect on what he's just said.

"I was reminded of that the other day by a friend and I just thought, 'F***ing hell'," he says.

"The panic and the fear and the idea of letting people down or being rejected or the violent fear of what would happen to my voice, all of that anxiety … And really what's happened is I've just got new space to play and a better feeling in my being.

"My voice is an extension of my soul, so all round it feels good."

Rejecting hate and finding peace

London-based Tempest lives and works in a Britain of rising anti-trans sentiment, anti-trans policies and trans women being increasingly discriminated against.

Tempest refuses to allow transphobia to impact him unduly.

"[It's] just coming from a place of fear," he says. "So, I don't really need to receive it in my heart."

Instead, he insists on focusing on trans joy.

"How wonderful and beautiful that in all of the millions of years that life has existed on this planet – 300 million years — and somehow here we are in this moment," says Tempest.

"I feel truly awe-struck at that fact every day and I get to share this moment with so many wonderful other people."

Beyond reinforcing his relationship to the trans and gender-diverse community, Tempest's transition has also deepened his connection to himself.

"I feel deep relief to be at this stage in my life where I can finally inhabit my body and have a bit more awareness of my reality," he says.

"There was a kind of numbness at the base level of [my pre-transition] life off stage.

"I think the biggest change has been that my real life has opened to me."

Grateful and looking ahead

In addition to his Australian tour, Tempest has just completed his second novel, Having Spent Life Seeking, which he describes as "years and years of … deep, brain-breaking work".

"It's absolute madness writing a novel," he says. "You have to know so much about every single different character."

Having Spent Life Seeking follows gender-diverse protagonist, Rothko, who returns to their hometown after 15 years away and attempts to forge a future amidst the ghosts of their past.

Due to the intensity of the work — Tempest had a map on his studio wall that plotted each character's movements — he says he looks forward to taking a break once the Self Titled tour is complete.

"I'm looking forward to … refilling the reservoir a little bit before immediately trying to produce more."

"I just want to be thankful for what I have received so far in this really abundant couple of years of work."

When he does return though, there is a project Tempest has already begun working on.

"I almost finished a record before Self Titled, but it wasn't quite the right record," he says.

"Something about it wasn't quite right [but] I couldn't work out what."

Tempest played the record to Fraser T. Smith, who has produced songs for the likes of Adele, Stormzy, and Sam Smith, and asked for his advice.

"He just said, 'The songs are great, but it's just not right for right now,'" says Tempest.

"I know [the record] will find its way into the light at some stage."

Much like Tempest himself, the record may undergo a transformation.

"I was working on demos for [the record] as my voice was changing. Track by track, I can hear this like the thickening of the vocal cords," he laughs.

"I understand that the gestation period is different to other things that I've worked on because maybe they're going to become something completely different once they've fully developed. I don't know."

Kae Tempest kicks off his Australian tour in Perth on Thursday, before shows in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney