Songfacts®:

• Michael Kiwanuka is a British musician of Ugandan heritage who writes songs combining soul and rootsy folk influences and sings them with a deep, husky soulful voice. After signing with Communion Records, Kiwanuka recorded his debut EP, Tell Me A Tale, with the help of Paul Butler from the Bees, who took the Muswell Hill, London native to his Isle of Wight studio to record the songs. The record came to the attention of Adele who invited Kiwanuka to support her on the singing star's 2011 European tour. The BBC announced on January 6, 2012 that Kiwanuka had won their Sound of 2012 poll, an annual survey of music critics and industry figures to find the most promising new music talent.
• This poignantly melancholic ballad is the title track and lead single from Kiwanuka's debut album. He explained the song's meaning to Q magazine: "It's about comfort and peace. Home is where you're most yourself - you don't have many inhibitions, you just feel free to be who you are. The song is about getting back to that place - not literally a house or place but just that feeling, you know? That feeling that let's you do the things you want to do and you say the things you want to say."
• Kiwanuka told Q this was one of the easier tracks on the album to write. He said: "It just flowed out in the space of about 20 minutes. I had this little acoustic guitar riff and thought it sounded quite nice. Songs are not all that easy, trust me! It was pure expression, which is why I wanted to call the album Home Again."
• In 2022, "Home Again" was used in the Walmart commercial "A Better Place," promoting the company's renewable energy initiatives.
• The Home Again album was released a few months Kiwanuka won the BBC Sound Of 2012 poll, which provided a nice springboard. He had a hard time with his second album, though. After getting called to Hawaii to work on Kanye West's Yeezus album, he became dispirited when nothing he came up with was used. It took him a few years to gain his confidence back; the turning point was his very personal song "Black Man In A White World," which ended up being the first single from his next album, Love & Hate, released in 2016. That album was his first UK chart-topper.