Michael Kiwanuka: Inside the Making of His New Album Fudge

Michael Kiwanuka Unveils ‘Fudge’ Genesis in New Short Film

Michael Kiwanuka discusses the creation of his fifth album, Fudge, in a short documentary premiering exclusively on Rolling Stone.

Inside the Remote Southampton Studio Sessions

During the spring and summer of 2023, the singer-songwriter decamped to a small, remote recording studio near his home in Southampton, England. Kiwanuka had won the Mercury Prize for his 2019 album, Kiwanuka, and was about halfway finished with the follow-up, 2024’s Small Changes, when he began conceptualizing his next project. In the short documentary filmed at the time, Kiwanuka compares the gestating project to mindless doodles drawn during university lectures or casual conversations.

“This album,” he says in the film, “I wanted it to be like a really detailed version of those sketches you do in the journal.”

Translating Stream-of-Consciousness into the Title

Kiwanuka sought a sound that remained precise and well-formed while carrying a playful, stream-of-consciousness feeling. That creative direction led him to the album’s title. “Fudge has got, like this playfulness to it,” he says. “It’s not something serious, like, ‘Do you want to eat caviar?’ I don’t know about that, but you’ll never turn down fudge.”

A Delayed Arrival Amid Ongoing Recovery

Fudge arrived on October 23, roughly a year after its originally scheduled release date. The delay coincided with a period when a continued illness forced the musician to drop out of a festival in Ireland in July. Kiwanuka subsequently stepped away from public life before recently revealing that he suffered a stroke. Because he is continuing his recovery and has not done standard press to support the release, the documentary offers a rare look into his creative process.

Jodie Canwell Captures the Magic Behind the Music

Titled The Making of ‘FUDGE’: A Film, the project was directed by Kiwanuka’s friend, videographer, and photographer Jodie Canwell. It pairs behind-the-scenes footage of the musician and his friends working together with interviews detailing his evolving creative philosophy.

“It was a privilege to be given the freedom to document Mike and the whole creative process,” Canwell said in a statement shared with Rolling Stone. “And it was magic, just like any time I spend with Mike, to see it all happen.”