Ruban Nielson

Ruban Nielson
Nielson performing with Unknown Mortal Orchestra at Southbound in Busselton, Western Australia
Born (1980-02-20) 20 February 1980 (age 44)
Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
Years active2001–present
SpouseJenny Nielson
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • bass guitar
  • keyboards
  • drums
  • percussion
  • cello
Labels
Member ofUnknown Mortal Orchestra
Formerly ofThe Mint Chicks

Ruban Nielson (born 20 February 1980) is a New Zealand musician, singer and songwriter, and the frontman of the psychedelic rock band Unknown Mortal Orchestra. He has won two Aotearoa Music Awards and an APRA Silver Scroll, over the course of his band's five studio albums and one extended play.

Born in Darwin, Australia, to a Hawaiian mother and a Māori father, Nielson was raised in Orewa, Auckland in a musical family. Nielson attended Elam, and graduated in 2002 as a recipient of the Sir James Wallace art award, one year after forming The Mint Chicks with Paul Roper, Michael Logie and his brother Kody Nielson. The four members met at Orewa College, although the band started moving between Portland, Oregon, where Nielson would later be based, and Auckland. The band, known for its nihilistic ideology, disorderly behaviour and neo-punk elements, broke up following Ruban's departure. Nielson subsequently formed a more experimental and psychedelic band, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, with musician Jake Portrait. His brother Kody also has performed drums on almost every Unknown Mortal Orchestra album.

Nielson achieved critical acclaim and success worldwide with the band's self-titled debut album Unknown Mortal Orchestra, released in 2011. The album won the Taite Music Prize the following year. Further success came with II, released in 2013.[1] Nielson's third album Multi-Love, which made it high onto lists by The Guardian, NME and Consequence of Sound for the best albums of 2015. Singles "Multi-Love" and "Can't Keep Checking My Phone" were both A-listed at BBC's 6 Music.[2] Two more albums, Sex + Food, and the instrumental IC-01 Hanoi, followed in 2018.

Nielson lives in the United States with his family. He has become part of the revival of psychedelic music in Australasia, alongside the likes of Tame Impala, Connan Mockasin, LEISURE and Pond.[3] NME has summed up Nielson as a master in creating "works of warm, fuzzy beauty."[4]

  1. ^ "Ruban Nielson – The University of Auckland". www.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  2. ^ "404 Not Found". {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  3. ^ "Into The Ethereal". Houstonia Magazine. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Unknown Mortal Orchestra – 'II' | NME". NME | Music, Film, TV, Gaming & Pop Culture News. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2021.