Kate Tempest announces change of pronouns and name to Kae

7 August 2020, 12:21 | Updated: 7 August 2020, 12:22

Kate Tempest announces name change to Kae and confirms they're gender neutral — Spoken word artist Kate Tempest has changed their name to Kae. Picture: Facebook/KaeTempest

The spoken word artist has shared a statement on Facebook explaining a change of name and a change of pronouns to they/them.

Kate Tempest has announced they will be changing their name to Kae Tempest and wants to be known by gender neutral pronouns.

The spoken word performer and Mercury-nominated artist took to social media this week to share a honest and heartfelt statement on the subject with their legion of fans.

The Let Them Eat Chaos musician said they would now be releasing all music and works under their new name, and they are changing their pronouns to they/them.

Kae's statement began: "Hello old fans, new fans and passers by - I’m changing my name! And I’m changing my pronouns. From Kate to Kae. From she/her to they/them. I’ve been struggling to accept myself as I am for a long time. I have tried to be what I thought others wanted me to be so as not to risk rejection. This hiding from myself has led to all kinds of difficulties in my life. And this is a first step towards knowing and respecting myself better. "

Hello old fans, new fans and passers by - I’m changing my name! And I’m changing my pronouns. From Kate to Kae. From...
Posted by Kate Tempest on Thursday, 6 August 2020

They added: "I’ve loved Kate. But I am beginning a process and I hope you’ll come with me. From today - I will be publishing my books and releasing my music as Kae Tempest! It’s pronounced like the letter K. It’s an old English word that means jay bird. Jays are associated with communication, curiosity, adaptation to new situations and COURAGE which is the name of the game at the moment.

"It can also mean jackdaw which is the bird that symbolises death and rebirth. Ovid said the jackdaw brought the rain. Which I love. It has its roots in the Latin word for rejoice, be glad and take pleasure. And I hope to live more that way each day. Funny because I know this is much more of a big deal to me than it is to anyone else, but because of my role as artist, it is in some ways a public decision as well as being a private one. So, here is my announcement."

They concluded: "Sending my love to you all and wishing you courage as you face whatever you must face today. This is a time of great reckoning. Privately, locally, globally. For me, the question is no longer ‘when will this change’ but ‘how far am I willing to go to meet the changes and bring them about in myself.’ I want to live with integrity. And this is a step towards that. Sending LOVE always".

Kae is the latest musician to reveal their gender neutral status, with Sam Smith changing their pronouns to they/them in 2019.