In an effort to offer young listeners a global perspective, George explored the migrant crisis in Episode 7 (“The Journey Part II”). This was picked up by policy influencers, and the transcript of this episode has since been published in a Foreign Affairs Committee inquiry into the UK’s response to irregular migration.   

Have You Heard George’s Podcast?’ is now the first series outside of the US to be nominated for and to win a Peabody Award, after having won Audioboom’s Podcast of the Year, Best Arts & Culture, Best Fiction, Best New Podcast, and Smartest Podcast. It also picked up Silver Awards for Acast Moment of the Year, and Best Current…

George’s upcoming PhD at UCL will research ‘The Black Economy’. Under the guidance of renowned economist Mariana Mazzucato and Reader of Educational Leadership Dr Karen Edge, the thesis will look at how the Black British community can leverage existing resources to turn social capital into political and economic power.

Born to Ugandan parents in North West London, George Mpanga grew up on St Raphael’s Estate, Neasden, where he developed a love of music and lyricism. He attended Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School before taking his place at King’s College, Cambridge where he studied Politics, Psychology and Sociology. This is where he began performing as George the Poet. 

George released his debut EP ‘The Chicken and the Egg’ which Vice magazine hailed for “the tightest lyricism of the year”. This led to a sold-out tour and a host of award nominations including the Critics’ Choice category at the 2015 BRIT Awards, and a fifth place in the highly-coveted BBC Sound of 2015 Poll.

George had now also begun working towards combining his words with music and education to push for his goal of real social change. This included work with the RSA for Climate Change, the Human Rights Commission for Hate Crime, and the NHS for the human story of blood donation. At a Business in The Community performance he was seen by…

In 2015 saw George release a collection of written work, ‘Introducing George The Poet: Search Party: A Collection of Poems’, exploring the trials and triumphs of an inner-city upbringing. The multi-book deal with Penguin led The Telegraph to call him “England’s most influential poet”. 

Later in the year, George performed at the Rugby World Cup opening ceremony. Over the years, there has been many high-profile campaigns including adverts for Nike, iPhone and o2, as well as multiple appearances on the country’s foremost Politics show Question Time, and George opening the Rugby World Cup. In the summer of 2018, George wrote and performed the official poem for the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle which was seen by more than 1.6 billion people worldwide.  

Have You Heard George’s Podcast? is a mind-bending experiment with musical storytelling, expertly weaving poetry and conversation with intricate sound design, and a powerful original score by multi-platinum selling producer and composer Benbrick. The Guardian called it “a unique mix of drama, news, poetry, observations, lived experience, experimental ideas and music.” The podcast conveys a new approach in which artistry and advocacy are combined to empower audiences.