Gorillaz are an English virtual band created in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle 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.
Gorillaz is the debut studio album by English virtual band Gorillaz, released on 26 March 2001 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and in the United States by Virgin Records. The album reached number three in the UK and number fourteen in the US, and the top ten in several other countries. Gorillaz has sold over seven million copies worldwide. The album's success earned the group an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "Most Successful Virtual Band", and spawned the singles "Clint Eastwood", "19-2000", "Rock the House", and "Tomorrow Comes Today".
"Dare" is a song by English virtual band Gorillaz and is the second single from their second studio album, Demon Days (2005). The track features Happy Mondays and Black Grape frontman Shaun Ryder, and is sung by Rosie Wilson as Noodle, with backing vocals from Damon Albarn. It peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart in September 2005, becoming the band's only UK number one. "Dare" additionally reached the top 10 in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Iceland, Ireland, and New Zealand.
"Rock the House" is a song from Gorillaz' self-titled debut album. It was released as the third single from the album in October 2001. It peaked at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart. The song features a horn section loop sampled from "Modesty Blaise", a piece by British jazz musician John Dankworth. Rapper Del the Funky Homosapien is the only artist to provide vocals for the song.
Phase One: Celebrity Takedown is a compilation DVD by Gorillaz, released in November 2002. The DVD compiles the videos and animatics related to the release of the band's first album, Gorillaz, G-Sides, and Laika Come Home, as well as the related singles. The DVD came with an extra CD-ROM containing desktop wallpapers, screensavers and other such special features. Limited edition copies came packaged in a hard box with a map of Kong Studios, exclusive sticker sheet and a 52-page reprint of the original promotional booklet released in limited quantities three years prior.
"Rhinestone Eyes" is a song from British virtual band Gorillaz featured on their third studio album, Plastic Beach.
Quincy Matthew Hanley, better known by his stage name Schoolboy Q, is an American rapper from South Los Angeles, California. Hanley released his debut mixtape, ScHoolboy Turned Hustla (2008) and its sequel, Gangsta & Soul the following year. Through the Carson-based record label Top Dawg Entertainment, Hanley independently released his debut album, Setbacks (2011) and its follow up, Habits & Contradictions (2012) to positive reception; both performed moderately on the Billboard 200 chart as digital exclusives.
"DoYaThing" is a single by British alternative rock virtual band Gorillaz, featuring LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy and André 3000 of Outkast. The single was released on 23 February 2012. It was commissioned by Converse as a part of their "Three Artists. One Song" project where three artists collaborate on a track. The song is also the starting point for a limited edition Chuck Taylor All-Stars collection designed by Gorillaz artist Jamie Hewlett. The shoe designs feature artwork from other projects related to Gorillaz. It was released in two different versions: the approximately 4-and-a-half-minute radio edit, and the explicit 13-minute version. The former was released as a free download on Converse's website, while the latter was released for streaming on Gorillaz's website.
"Saturnz Barz" is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz, featuring Jamaican dancehall artist Popcaan. The song was released on 23 March 2017. It was released as the lead single from their fifth studio album Humanz. The song marks the group's comeback since 2012's "DoYaThing", although 2017 had seen the non-single release of the song "Hallelujah Money" which features English singer Benjamin Clementine. "Saturnz Barz" was produced by frontman Damon Albarn, Remi Kabaka Jr. and producer The Twilite Tone, and marks the group's first collaboration with Popcaan.
Gorillaz Live was the first concert tour by the British alternative rock virtual band Gorillaz, in support of their self-titled debut album.
"Humility" is a single by British virtual band Gorillaz featuring American jazz guitarist George Benson. It was released on 31 May 2018 along with "Lake Zurich" as the first single from their sixth studio album, The Now Now. On 12 July 2018, two remixes of the song by Superorganism and DJ Koze were released. It charted in a total of 8 countries reaching number 85 on the US Billboard Hot 100, with its highest position in any chart being number 7 in Billboard's Hot Rock Songs.
"Tranz" is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was released on 14 September 2018 with a music video as the sixth and final single from their sixth studio album, The Now Now. On 28 September 2018, a remix of the song by British electronic musician Poté was released. The song charted at #16 on the Billboard's Hot Rock Songs.
"Momentary Bliss" is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz, featuring British rapper Slowthai and the Kent-based punk rock duo Slaves. The song was the first song to be released for Gorillaz' Song Machine initiative, a web series consisting of singles and music videos released over the course of the year from the band, with each episode featuring different guest musicians on new Gorillaz material, and is the first single released for their seventh studio album, Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez. This was the final single before Slaves changed their band name to "Soft Play".
Song Machine is an audiovisual project by British virtual band Gorillaz. It is a music video web series consisting of a collection of music videos and singles that are released monthly by the band as episodes of the series, with each episode featuring additional guests. Each episode is released with accompanying interludes called "Machine Bitez", a series of skits consisting of short conversations and interviews with Song Machine's guests from Gorillaz' virtual band members. The project was officially launched on 30 January 2020. Season one of Song Machine consists of 9 episodes and was released as an album titled Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez on 23 October 2020. A second season was announced in 2020, though it was later scrapped in favor of Cracker Island.
"Désolé" is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz featuring Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara. The track was released on 27 February 2020 as the second single for Gorillaz' seventh studio album, Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez. The song is part of the Song Machine project, which is a web series involving the ongoing release of various Gorillaz tracks featuring different guest musicians over the course of 2020.
"Aries" is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz featuring drummer Georgia and bassist Peter Hook of the bands Joy Division and New Order. The track was released on 9 April 2020 as the third single for Gorillaz' seventh studio album, Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez. It is part of the Song Machine project, a web series involving the ongoing release of various Gorillaz singles and music videos featuring different guest musicians over the course of 2020.
Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez is the seventh studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz, released on 23 October 2020 via Parlophone and Warner Records. The album was released as the culmination of Gorillaz' Song Machine project, a web series consisting of a collection of singles and music videos, dubbed "episodes" each featuring different guest artists. The album marked the return of the character Murdoc Niccals in promotional material, after his absence from The Now Now in 2018. The record received positive reviews from music critics.
"Strange Timez" is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz featuring The Cure frontman, Robert Smith. The track was released on 9 September 2020 as the seventh single for Gorillaz' seventh studio album, Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez, and the sixth episode of the Song Machine project, a web series that involved the release of various Gorillaz tracks featuring different guest musicians over the course of 2020.
"The Pink Phantom" is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz, featuring British singer Elton John and American singer 6lack. The track was released on 1 October 2020 as the eighth single for Gorillaz' seventh studio album, Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez, and the seventh episode of the Song Machine project, a web series involving the ongoing release of various Gorillaz tracks featuring different guest musicians over the course of 2020. The song was later included on John's 2021 album The Lockdown Sessions.
"Cracker Island" is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz, featuring American bassist, singer and songwriter Thundercat. The track was released on 22 June 2022 as the first single from their eighth studio album, Cracker Island. "Cracker Island" peaked at number two on the US Billboard alternative airplay chart, making it their highest charting song since "Feel Good Inc."
