Kate Tempest grew up in South-East London, where she still lives. Starting out as a rapper, she toured the spoken word circuit for a number of years, and now works as a poet and playwright. Her work includes Balance, her first album with her band Sound of Rum; Everything Speaks in its Own Way, a collection of poems with CD and DVD of live performance; GlassHouse, a forum theatre play for homeless theatre company Cardboard Citizens; and the plays Wasted and Hopelessly Devoted for Paines Plough.
Brand New Ancients won the Ted Hughes Prize for innovation in poetry, and is published by Picador.
She continues to work on new poems, a novel, and music with producer Dan Carey.