Gorillaz

For the album, see Gorillaz (album).
"Gorillas (band)" redirects here. For the 1972 rock band, see The Gorillas.
"Russel Hobbs" redirects here. For the household appliance manufacturer, see Russell Hobbs.

Gorillaz
Gorillaz in 2020. Jamie Hewlett (left) and Damon Albarn (right) with animated members Murdoc Niccals (top left), Russel Hobbs (top right), 2-D (bottom right), and Noodle (bottom left).
Gorillaz in 2020. Jamie Hewlett (left) and Damon Albarn (right) with animated members Murdoc Niccals (top left), Russel Hobbs (top right), 2-D (bottom right), and Noodle (bottom left).
Background information
OriginLondon, England
Genres
DiscographyGorillaz discography
Years active1998–present[a]
Labels
Spinoff ofBlur[1]
MembersVirtual:
Murdoc Niccals
2-D
Russel Hobbs
Noodle
Non-virtual:
Damon Albarn
Jamie Hewlett
Remi Kabaka Jr.
Past membersPaula Cracker
Cyborg Noodle
Ace
Websitegorillaz.com

Gorillaz are a British virtual band created in 1998 by British musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, keyboards, vocals) and Russel Hobbs (drums). Their universe is presented in media such as music videos, interviews, comic strips and short cartoons. Gorillaz's music has featured collaborations with a wide range of featured artists, with Albarn as the only permanent musical contributor.

With Gorillaz, Albarn departed from the distinct Britpop sound of his band Blur, exploring a variety of musical styles including hip hop, electronic and world music.[2] The band's 2001 debut album, Gorillaz, which features dub, Latin and punk influences, went triple platinum in the UK and double platinum in Europe, with sales driven by the success of the lead single, "Clint Eastwood". Their second studio album, Demon Days (2005), went six times platinum in the UK,[3] double platinum in the US, and spawned the successful lead single "Feel Good Inc."[4][5][6] The band's third album, Plastic Beach (2010), featured environmentalist themes, synth-pop elements[7] and an expanded roster of featured artists. Their fourth album, The Fall, was recorded on the road during the Escape to Plastic Beach Tour and released on 25 December 2010.

In 2015, after over 10 years providing the voice of Russel, Remi Kabaka Jr. became a permanent music producer for the band.[8] Their fifth album, Humanz (2017) was the band's first in seven years and featured a wide array of guest artists,[9] while its follow-up, The Now Now (2018), focused musically on Albarn. In 2020, Gorillaz started the Song Machine project, a music-based web series with episodes that consisted of standalone singles and accompanying music videos featuring different guests, which culminated with their seventh studio album, Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez (2020). The band's eighth studio album, Cracker Island (2023), met generally positive reviews as a refinement of their usual style.

Gorillaz has presented itself live in a variety of different ways throughout its history, such as hiding the touring band from the audience's view in the early years of the project, projecting animated band members on stage via computer graphics and traditional live touring featuring a fully visible live band.[10] They have won a Grammy Award, two MTV Video Music Awards, an NME Award and four MTV Europe Music Awards.[11] They have also been nominated for 11 Brit Awards and won Best British Group at the 2018 Brit Awards.[12][13] Gorillaz have sold over 27 million albums worldwide.[14]


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  1. ^ Lanham, Tom (August 2002). "Answer Me". CMJ New Music Monthly. p. 8. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023. Sneering at Blur leader Damon Albarn's recent Gorillaz tour, where the spinoff group performed behind a program of projected cartoons, Oasis ...
  2. ^ Wehner, Cyclone (April 2017). "Gorillaz – 'Humanz'". Music Feeds. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  3. ^ "Award – bpi – Gorillaz – Demon Days". British Phonographic Industry. 24 February 2006. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Gold & Platinum – Gorillaz – Demon Days". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  5. ^ "EMI Music earns 54 Grammy nominations". EMI. 8 December 2005. Archived from the original on 8 May 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2007.
  6. ^ "EMI Music Publishing Wins Big at the Grammys!". EMI. 14 February 2006. Archived from the original on 29 September 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
  7. ^ Duncan, Conrad (26 June 2018). "Album Review: Gorillaz – The Now Now". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  8. ^ Hewlett, Denholm (24 December 2019). Gorillaz: Reject False Icons – Original Director's Cut (Documentary) (Motion picture). YouTube. Event occurs at 25:33. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  9. ^ "Gorillaz Announce New Album Humanz Featuring Grace Jones, Danny Brown, Mavis Staples, More". Pitchfork. 23 March 2017. Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  10. ^ Milton, Jamie (6 March 2017). "From holograms to headliners – how Gorillaz's inventive live shows have transformed". NME. Archived from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  11. ^ Rock On The Net: Gorillaz Archived 6 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine Rock on the Net
  12. ^ "Brit Awards 2018: The winners and nominees" Archived 15 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine. BBC. Retrieved 21 February 2018
  13. ^ Gorillaz BRITS ProfileArchived 2 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine BRIT Awards Ltd
  14. ^ "Gorillaz release exhilarating 'Baby Queen', a brand new track from upcoming album 'Cracker Island': Listen". 10 November 2022.