Romy Hoffman

Last updated

Romy Hoffman
Birth nameRomy Hoffman
Also known asRomy
Born1980 (age 43–44)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Origin Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • rapper
Instruments
Years active1995–present
Labels
Member ofAgender
Formerly of Noise Addict
Macromantics

Romy Hoffman (born 1980) is an Australian singer, songwriter and rapper who has performed under the names Macromantics, Romy and Agender. Initially based in Sydney, since 2014 she has worked in Los Angeles.

Contents

Life and career

Romy Hoffman was raised in a Jewish household. [2] In 1995 as a 15-year-old she started playing guitar with her high school classmate Ben Lee's pop, punk band Noise Addict. [2] With the group, she toured the United States where she encountered the New York-based hip hop culture. [2] She told Tim Colman of The Sydney Morning Herald , "I just did the last tour with them, which was great because I got to go to America." [3] While a member of Noise Addict she was recorded for the track, "Spritz", which is the B-side of their single, "The Frail Girl" (1995). [3] [4]

She later returned to the US, to spend time writing, in San Francisco. [3] As a result, she released her debut solo seven-track extended play, Hyperbolic Logic, in 2004. [5] [6] Colman observed, "It's a challenging listen, with Hoffman spitting tight, at times confronting, rhymes over dark, uneasy and engaging beats... The listening effort unearths a poetic and abstract wordsmith sharing personal experiences and insights." [3] AllMusic's Heather Phares noticed, "[the EP], which introduced her passionate and often witty MC style." [7]

2006 also saw Hoffman become the first hip-hop act (and only the second Australian act) to be signed to the US record label, Kill Rock Stars (home to The Gossip, Deerhoof, Sleater Kinney and Bikini Kill). [8] She released her first full-length album, Moments in Movement , in September 2006 created in collaboration with local producer Tony Buchen. The album was nominated for the 2006 J Award. [9]

2007 saw Macromantics undertaking a national tour and supporting Lily Allen's tour of Australia. [8]

In 2010, after two years of extensive touring, Romy began work on a dark electro pop record. The single "Sleep" was released in 2010 with remixes by DFA's The Juan Maclean and Brain Children. In 2011 she embarked on a U.S with JD Samson's group MEN. In 2011 she worked on another record as ROMY. This time, a house inspired record. In 2012/2013, the single "Elixir" was released on prestigious house label Nervous Records. The follow-up "Home" came out on the chic underground cult label 100% Silk. [10]

Hoffman has always maintained her punk roots. In 2011 she made a "schitzo synthy paranoid punk" lo-fi solo record as AGENDER. She played all the instruments on the record. In 2013 AGENDER morphed into an all girl 3 piece, known for their intense, fast, tight knit punk shows. The band's record Fixations was released on French label Desire Records. The band toured the U.S in June/July 2014. [11]

Discography

Albums

TitleAlbum details
Heart Over Mind Over Matter
  • Released: 2002
  • Label: Macromantics
  • Formats: CD
Hyperbolic Logic
  • Released: 2004 [5]
  • Label: Macromantics
  • Formats: CD
Moments in Movement
  • Released: 2006
  • Label: Remote Control, Inertia (MACROCD001)
  • Formats: CD
Self (En)Titled(as Agender)
  • Released: 2011
  • Label: Agender
  • Formats: DD
Fixations(as Agender)
  • Released: 2014
  • Label: Desire Records (dsr105LP)
  • Formats: DD, LP

Singles

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.

YearNominee / workAwardResult
2007 [12] [13] MacromanticsMost Oustsanding New Independent ArtistNominated

J Award

The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.

YearNominee / workAwardResult
2006 Moments in MovementAustralian Album of the YearNominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frenzal Rhomb</span> Australian punk rock band

Frenzal Rhomb are an Australian punk rock band that formed in 1992 in Sydney. Though the band's mainstream success has been minimal, four of the group's albums have entered the top 20 on the ARIA Albums Chart: A Man's Not a Camel (1999), Smoko at the Pet Food Factory (2011), Hi-Vis High Tea (2017) and The Cup of Pestilence (2023). Hi-Vis High Tea charted the highest of these, peaking at number nine in the charts. The group has also supported Australian tours by American punk bands such as The Offspring, Bad Religion, NOFX, The Lawrence Arms and Blink-182. Frenzal Rhomb have also toured in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, South Africa and Taiwan. The band has undergone several line-up changes, with lead vocalist Jason Whalley serving as the band's sole constant member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Living End</span> Australian band

The Living End is an Australian punk rock band from Melbourne, formed in 1994. Since 2002, the line-up consists of Chris Cheney, Scott Owen, and Andy Strachan (drums). The band rose to fame in 1997 after the release of their EP Second Solution / Prisoner of Society, which peaked at No. 4 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. They have released eight studio albums, two of which reached the No. 1 spot on the ARIA Albums Chart: The Living End and State of Emergency. They have also achieved chart success in the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sally Seltmann</span> Australian musician

Sally Mary Seltmann, is an Australian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and Record producer. From 2000 to 2009, Seltmann used the stage name, New Buffalo. Under that name, Seltmann wrote, performed, arranged and produced her debut album, The Last Beautiful Day in September 2004. Her second album, Somewhere, Anywhere appeared in March 2007. Seltmann and Canadian singer-songwriter Feist, co-wrote the song "1234" which was featured in a 2007 iPod Nano commercial. It became a Top 10 hit on the United States Billboard Hot 100 for Feist. Seltmann is married to Darren Seltmann formerly of electronic music group, The Avalanches. In April 2010, Seltmann released her third solo album, Heart That's Pounding. Late that year, she formed an indie rock trio, Seeker Lover Keeper, with fellow Australians Sarah Blasko and Holly Throsby. They issued a self-titled album in June 2011, which peaked at number three on the ARIA Albums Chart. In 2013, Seltmann released her fourth solo album, Hey Daydreamer. In April 2018, Allen & Unwin published Sally Seltmann's debut novel Lovesome.

Ian McFarlane is an Australian music journalist, music historian and author, whose best known publication is the Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop (1999), which was updated for a second edition in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Lee</span> Australian actor and singer (born 1978)

Benjamin Michael Lee is an Australian musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but he focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appeared as the protagonist in the Australian film The Rage in Placid Lake (2003). He has released eleven solo studio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricki-Lee Coulter</span> Australian singer, songwriter, television and radio presenter (born 1985)

Ricki-Lee Dawn Coulter is an Australian singer and songwriter. She was born in Auckland, New Zealand, raised in Gold Coast, Queensland, and began performing at age 15. Coulter rose to fame in 2004 on the second season of Australian Idol and placed seventh in the competition. She subsequently signed with Australian independent label Shock Records, and released her self-titled debut album Ricki-Lee (2005), which produced the top-ten hits "Hell No!" and "Sunshine". Both singles were certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). The following year, Coulter became a member of the Australian pop girl group Young Divas, before leaving in early 2007 to resume her solo career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katie Noonan</span> Australian singer and songwriter (born 1977)

Katie Anne Noonan is an Australian singer and songwriter. In addition to a successful solo career encompassing opera, jazz, pop, rock and dance, she was the singer in the band George and remains the singer in the band Elixir; performs with her mother Maggie Noonan; and plays with her band The Captains. Noonan was the musical director of and performed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games' opening and closing ceremonies.

Noise Addict was an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1993 by founding mainstay Ben Lee on lead vocals and guitar. He was joined in 1995 by Romy Hoffman on guitar before the group disbanded early in 1996. They had issued a studio album, Meet the Real You, on Fellaheen Records/Shock Records in late 1995. Lee undertook a solo career. He briefly reconvened Noise Addict in 2009 with new members, Lou Barlow and Lara Meyerratken, to issue a second album, It Was Never About the Audience, before returning to his solo pursuits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cosmic Psychos</span> Australian punk rock band

Cosmic Psychos is an Australian punk rock band which formed in 1982 as Spring Plains. The band's first stabilized lineup included Ross Knight on bass guitar and vocals, Peter Jones on guitar, and Bill Walsh on drums. Australian rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, described their music as "arty kind of punk noise, somewhere between The Birthday Party and a more narcotic sounding Ramones". Late in 1984 the group was renamed as Cosmic Psychos. They issued their debut album, Down on the Farm, in December 1985. Several albums have followed and were backed by national tours and international tours to Europe and North America including festivals with Mudhoney, Nirvana, L7, Helmet and Motörhead. In 1990 Jones was replaced by Robbie Watts on guitar. By 2005 Walsh was replaced by Dean Muller on drums. On 1 July 2006 Watts died of a drug overdose, aged 47, and the band continued with John McKeering joining.

Stephen Pavlovic is an Australian music entrepreneur. Pavlovic began promoting music tours, events and concerts in 1990. Since then he has toured artists including Nirvana, Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Beck, Foo Fighters, Daft Punk, The Cure, Grace Jones, LCD Soundsystem, and more. In 1998 he founded the record label Modular Recordings home to The Avalanches, Tame Impala and Cut Copy and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elana Stone</span> Musical artist

Elana Stone is an Australian singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader. Her debut solo album, In the Garden of Wild Things, was released in 2005 on the Jazzgroove label. Its follow-up, Your Anniversary, was released in 2009, and her third Kintsugi was released independently in 2015. She is also a member of the ARIA award–winning folk quartet All Our Exes Live in Texas, in which she provides vocals and accordion.

<i>Moments in Movement</i> 2006 studio album by Macromantics

Moments in Movement is the first studio album by Australian hip hop artist Macromantics. Originally released in 2006, it was re-released on Kill Rock Stars in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samantha Jade</span> Australian singer and songwriter (born 1987)

Samantha Jade Gibbs is an Australian singer and songwriter. She has written tracks for artists including JoJo and Ashley Tisdale. In 2012, Jade won the fourth season of The X Factor Australia, the first woman to win the Australian series. She subsequently signed with Sony Music Australia and released her winner's single "What You've Done to Me", which debuted at number one on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Singles Chart. On 16 August 2024, Jade released her new EP, Love.Sick. Vol 2, debuting at #5 on the Australian iTunes Album Charts.

Sound Unlimited, formerly known as Sound Unlimited Posse and Westside Posse, was an Australian hip hop group from Sydney and the first Australian hip hop act signed to a major label during the 1990s. The band's members were: Rosano and Tina Martinez, MC Kode Blue and Vlad DJ BTL.

Paris Wells is an Australian singer-songwriter based in Melbourne. She has released two albums and one EP. Wells has played at festivals such as Falls Festival, Big Day Out, Meredith and Sydney Music Festival. She has supported Justin Timberlake, Rod Stewart, Plan B, Robyn and Jamie Lidell on tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The xx</span> British indie pop band

The xx are an English indie rock band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim, Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx, and formerly Baria Qureshi. They are known for their distinctive minimalist sound blending indie rock, indie electronic, indie pop, dream pop and electro-rock and the dual-vocalist set-up of Madley Croft and Sim. Their music employs soft echoed guitar, prominent bass, light electronic beats and ambient soundscape backgrounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Jezabels</span> Australian rock band

The Jezabels are an Australian indie rock band formed in Sydney in 2007. It consists of lead vocalist Hayley Mary, guitarist Sam Lockwood, pianist and keyboardist Heather Shannon, and drummer and percussionist Nik Kaloper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Blasko</span> Australian indie rock musician (born 1976)

Sarah Elizabeth Blaskow, known professionally as Sarah Blasko, is an Australian singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. From April 2002, Blasko developed her solo career after fronting Sydney-based band Acquiesce between the mid-1990s and 2001. She had performed under her then married name, Sarah Semmens, and, after leaving Acquiesce, as Sorija in a briefly existing duo of that name. As a solo artist Blasko has released six studio albums, The Overture & the Underscore, What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have – which peaked at No. 7 on the ARIA Albums Chart, As Day Follows Night – which reached No. 5, I Awake – which made No. 9, Eternal Return and Depth of Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Peep Tempel</span> Australian musical group

The Peep Tempel was a punk rock band from Melbourne, Australia. The band's line-up for most of its tenure was Blake Scott, Steven Carter (drums) and Stewart Rayner. The band released three studio albums: The Peep Tempel (2012), Tales (2014) and Joy (2016).

Royal Headache was an Australian punk rock and garage band from Sydney. The band was formed in 2008 and was composed of Tim "Shogun" Wall (vocals), Lawrence "Law" Hall (guitar), Joseph "Joe" Sukit (bass), Chris "Shortty" Shortt (drums) and Gabrielle de Giorgio.

References

  1. ↑ "About". Agender Official Website. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Blackman, Guy (24 September 2006). "Romy with the Hommies". The Age . Fairfax Media . Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Colman, Tim (3 September 2004). "Punky Beat Star". The Sydney Morning Herald . Fairfax Media. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  4. ↑ "'The Frail Girl' – Noise Addict | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Release Hyperbolic Logic by Macromantics". MusicBrainz . Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  6. ↑ Colman, Tim (8 April 2005). "Feminen wiles". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  7. ↑ Phares, Heather. "Biography – Macromantics". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Macromantics". Video Hits . Retrieved 1 April 2008.
  9. ↑ "Hilltop Hood win #2: J Award". themusic.com.au. 5 December 2006. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 1 April 2008.
  10. ↑ "Premiere: Romy, "Home"". 6 November 2013.
  11. ↑ "| A G E N D E R |". www.aagender.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2014.
  12. ↑ "2007 Jagermeister AIR Awards Nominees Revealed". inthemix. 2 November 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  13. ↑ "History Wins". Australian Independent Record Labels Association . Retrieved 18 August 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.