Gorillaz, Little Simz, and Deltron 3030

The fictional band members are Murdoc Niccals, 2-D, Noodle, and Russel Hobbs. They are represented in music videos and concerts in cartoons illustrated by Hewlett.

Gorillaz is a pop band with a distinctive sound. Its musical style combines synth-pop, alternative rock, hip-hop, electronic, trip-hop, and dark pop. Albarn credits various and diverse artists as significant influences. Some of the better-known influences include Massive Attack, Public Image Ltd, Tom Tom Club, Fun Boy Three, and Unkle. Influences for the animated band members include Glitch Techs, The Amazing World of Gumball, and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Gorillaz is known for collaborating with many prominent artists such as Elton John, Georgia, Popcaan, and Mavis Staples. This one-of-a-kind group has influenced a bevy of artists since it burst onto the music scene, including 5 Seconds of Summer, AWOLNATION, Paramore, Grimes, and Kesha.

Gorillaz has grossed over 27 million records worldwide and won a Grammy as well as multiple MTV Video Music Awards. The group has also been nominated for 11 Brit Awards and won Best British Group at the 2018 Brit Awards. Gorillaz also holds the distinction of being the Most Successful Virtual Band in the Guinness World Records.

From 1998 to 2000, Albarn worked on the band’s self-titled first album, Gorillaz, which dropped in 2001. The first song release was “Tomorrow Comes Today,” and the music video for the song marked the world’s introduction to the virtual band members. Overall, the album was a smash, both commercially and critically.

The aforementioned second album, Demon Days, followed in 2005. The album marked a shift in the band’s sound into the darker approach to pop that made it famous. Demon Days was its most successful studio effort to date. It went double platinum in the U.S. and contained the ubiquitous and widely popular single “Feel Good Inc.”

In 2006, the band penned an “autobiographical” book titled Rise of the Ogre that expanded on the universe and backstories of the fictional band members.

Gorillaz’s third album, Plastic Beach, hit the market in 2010. The environmentally themed album featured a new synth-pop sound and a lineup of featured guest artists.

The Fall, the band’s fourth album, also released in 2010. The album was largely recorded while Alban was traveling during the band’s Escape to Plastic Beach Tour.

The band’s fifth studio effort, Humanz, dropped in April 2017 after a lengthy hiatus. The album debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 and received positive reviews from fans and critics.

The sixth album, The Now Now, was released in 2018 and presented a more stripped-down version of the band’s signature sound, concentrating on Albarn’s original music instead of guest artists.

Gorillaz’ launched a new web series project titled Song Machine. The series of episodes featured music videos of the band with musical singles. After the series concluded, the band compiled each song to create its seventh studio album, Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez, in 2020.

Throughout 2022, Gorillaz was on tour in South America, Europe, Australia, and North America. Throughout the Gorillaz tour, the band released new music promoting its upcoming eighth album, Cracker Island, scheduled for release in 2023.

All three members of the group are well known within the underground hip-hop scene and have built significant careers individually. Together, though, Dan the Automator on production, Del the Funky Homosapien rapping and Kid Koala DJ-ing create an epic, avant-garde production, which has attracted a large underground following in the US and beyond.

The group has produced two studio albums, both of which charted within the US Billboard 200 charts placing at 194 and 41 respectively. Their first album, the self-titled “Deltron 3030” is a concept album that details a battle between character Deltron Zero and the corporate powers that rule the universe. The album is genre bending and non-conforming throughout, and the scale of the scale of the project with its multiple collaborators, including Damon Albarn and Mark Bell, has been noted by critics and fans alike.

Deltron 3030 followed up this initial offering with “Event Two”, which was released in 2013 some 13 years after the release of their debut album. Despite the delay in between albums, “Event Two” had been in production as far back as 2004. The album placed more than 150 places higher than its predecessor; the wait and the inclusion of celebrities such as Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Amber Tamblyn, The Lonely Island, Damon Albarn and Jamie Cullum added to the album’s buzz and appeal. The album was a narrative sequel to the work produced for “Deltron 3030”.