Michael Kiwanuka has disclosed that he suffered a stroke and faces a "long tough journey" on the road to recovery.

The 39-year-old British singer-songwriter, whose hits include "Cold Little Heart" and "Home Again," said the stroke was caused by a "quite severe" bleed in his brain. He attributed the medical emergency to high blood pressure.

Kiwanuka, who won the Mercury Prize, said the stroke explains his absence from several tour dates earlier this year. He had been scheduled to serve as the support act for Mumford & Sons on those dates.

The London-born musician made the revelation in his own words, keeping his description of the recovery process stark and unsentimental. A "long tough journey" is how he framed the months ahead — a phrase that suggests the singer anticipates an extended period of rehabilitation rather than a quick return to the stage.

The announcement resolves the question that had hung over Kiwanuka's cancelled appearances this year. Fans who had expected to see him open for Mumford & Sons now know the reason: a brain bleed severe enough, in his own description, to warrant the word "quite severe," and serious enough to keep him off the road.

Kiwanuka's disclosure also places a spotlight on high blood pressure as the underlying cause, a detail the singer chose to share himself. By naming the condition, he has offered his audience a concrete medical explanation rather than a vague citation of ill health — an approach consistent with the directness that has marked his public communication throughout his career.

At 39, Kiwanuka belongs to a generation of artists whose careers were built on sustained touring and recording cycles. A stroke at that age interrupts not only live commitments but, potentially, the creative pace behind them. What the recovery means for his recording and performing schedule remains to be seen, and the singer has not yet indicated when — or in what form — he might return to the stage.

For now, the singer's own words carry the weight of the announcement. The "long tough journey" he describes will define the next chapter of his career, and his audience will be watching for whatever he chooses to share along the way.