But If you grew up in the posh part of Muswell Hill, I wouldn’t be hearing punk or skater or Caribbean music, Nirvana or Jimi Hendrix, music that I never had a clue existed until I was at school.”

Finding himself culturally in the middle of between London’s segregated musical worlds, at 18 Kiwanuka started attending music school, picking out songs on an acoustic guitar. Less than a decade later, Kiwanuka can be found doing the exact same thing. Making a connection with the aforementioned Butler over a mix CD Butler burned for him, Kiwanuka’s and Butler’s musical relationship is a natural, comfortable one, “Like when you meet someone in your class in your year at school and start making music together just to have fun,” according to Kiwanuka.

Kiwanuka’s efforts put him at the top of the BBC’s Sound Of 2012 list, which earmarks the music artists with the most potential for the year. 2008’s winner, Adele, is an indication of this list’s accuracy. Kiwanuka joined Adele—another product of North London, albeit from a lot less affluent of a neighborhood—for an extensive tour of Europe prior to the release of Home Again, which ended up confirming his decision to pursue music.

“If I lived somewhere else, maybe I would be producing or playing electronic music. I wouldn’t know who Bob Dylan was or even start playing guitar,” he says. “It was inspiring to see [Adele] singing and making music, connecting with people. You feel like if you make some good music it might be possible. I really believe where you’re from affects who you are in a good way, never negative.”