Hazel Albarn, originally from Lincolnshire, was a theatrical set designer for Joan Littlewood's theatre company at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in London, and was working on the satirical play Mrs Wilson's Diary just before Damon was born. Their daughter Jessica, born in 1971, also went on to become an artist. Īlbarn was born on 23 March 1968 he is the elder child of artist Keith Albarn and his wife Hazel, née Dring. In 2020, Albarn was granted Icelandic citizenship. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to music. In 2016, Albarn received the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. In 2008, The Daily Telegraph ranked Albarn number 18 in their list of the "100 most powerful people in British culture". His debut solo studio album Everyday Robots was released in 2014, with his second The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows released in 2021. He also scored the stage productions Monkey: Journey to the West (2008), Dr Dee (2012) and Wonder.land (2016). Gorillaz are cited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the "Most Successful Virtual Band".Īlbarn's other notable projects have included two supergroups: the Good, the Bad & the Queen and Rocket Juice & the Moon, working with the non-profit organization Africa Express, which he co-founded, and composing film soundtracks. Although Albarn is the only permanent musical contributor, Gorillaz albums typically feature collaborations from a range of artists. Drawing influences from hip hop, dub, pop, trip hop, and world music, Gorillaz released their self-titled debut album in 2001 to worldwide success, spawning successful follow-ups Demon Days (2005), Plastic Beach, The Fall (both released in 2010), Humanz (2017), The Now Now (2018) and the first season of their Song Machine project, Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez (2020). These were followed by The Magic Whip (2015), Blur's first studio album in 12 years.Īlbarn formed the virtual band Gorillaz in 1998 with comic book artist Jamie Hewlett.
Subsequent albums such as Blur (1997), 13 (1999), and Think Tank (2003) incorporated influences from lo-fi, art rock, electronic and world music. All three albums received critical acclaim while Blur gained mass popularity in the UK, aided by a Britpop chart rivalry with Oasis. The result was the Blur albums Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995). After spending long periods touring the US, Albarn's songwriting became increasingly influenced by British bands from the 1960s. Raised in Leytonstone, East London, and around Colchester, Essex, Albarn attended the Stanway School, where he met guitarist Graham Coxon and formed Blur, releasing their debut album Leisure in 1991. Damon Albarn OBE ( / ˈ d eɪ m ən ˈ æ l b ɑːr n/ born 23 March 1968) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the frontman and primary lyricist of the rock band Blur and as the co-founder, lead vocalist, instrumentalist, and primary songwriter of the virtual band Gorillaz.
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