Who? Kate Esther Tempest is the Next Generation poet, playwright, social activist and rapper from south London whose observations cover class and relationships with warmth, sincerity, fragility and humour. She started out as a rapper and a spoken-word poet, she’s lived in squats, studied music at the Brit school, created Everything Speaks in its Own Way, a collection of poems published on her own imprint Zingaro, The Glasshouse, a forum theatre play for Cardboard Citizens, the plays Wasted and Hopelessly Devoted and the award-winning poem Brand New Ancients. Her debut album proper, Everybody Down, tells the story of three individuals grappling with loneliness in the city, with each song representing a new chapter in their lives. The characters featured in this album, and her previous works, are being made into a novel due to be published next year.
The album: Everybody Down
Previous releases to date: Balance – 2011 (album recorded with her former band Sound of Rum)
What we said: “The obvious reference point is the Streets’ second album, A Grand Don’t Come for Free, although Dan Carey’s unsteadying beats leave no room for Mike Skinner’s trademark way with a chorus. Tempest shines, though, through her use of language, which illuminates the subject matter – from boardroom drug deals to vacuous parties where ‘everybody … has got a hyphenated second name’ – to dazzling effect.”
What she said: “I just wanted to play music and listen to music and read books. I did want to learn, but on my own terms and at my own pace. I didn’t understand why we were sitting in these classrooms doing stuff that I didn’t care about. The whole thing seemed a farce and made me very angry and disruptive. In the end I think they just got sick of me, but around the same time, I found hip-hop and rapping and it changed my life. I was blown away by having a passion and a community.”
Notable Mercury-friendly accolades: Aside from the prodigal output previously listed, her fans include Billy Bragg, poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, Public Enemy’s Chuck D, Woman’s Hour host Jenni Murray (“breathtakingly fantastic”), Roots Manuva (“her works are truly of upliftment and betterment”) and she was the first person under 40 to win the Ted Hughes award for innovation in poetry.
Likelihood to win: The Mercury has been welcoming to female MCs in the past – take 2002’s Ms Dynamite and 2009’s Speech Debelle (even if their careers subsequently dissipated). Remortgage your house if you’re feeling ballsy – she’s the new favourite to win at 3/1.
