Gorillaz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gorillaz
Gorillaz in 2020. Jamie Hewlett (left) and Damon Albarn (right) with animated members Murdoc Niccals (top left), Russel Hobbs (top right), 2-D (bottom right), and Noodle (bottom left).
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genres	Alternative rock electronic trip hop art pop hip-hop
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Parlophone Virgin Warner Kong
Members	Virtual: 2-D Murdoc Niccals Russel Hobbs Noodle Non-virtual: Damon Albarn Jamie Hewlett Remi Kabaka Jr.
Past members	Virtual: Paula Cracker Cyborg Noodle Ace

Gorillaz is a super cool English virtual band created in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett. What makes them special is that the main band members are four animated characters! These characters are 2-D (who sings and plays keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (on bass guitar), Noodle (playing guitar, keyboards, and singing backup), and Russel Hobbs (on drums).

You can find the Gorillaz characters in their awesome music videos, fun interviews, comic strips, and short cartoons. Damon Albarn is the only real-life musician who is always part of the music. He loves to work with many different artists and musicians on their songs.

With Gorillaz, Damon Albarn explored many musical styles like hip hop, electronic, and world music. Their first album, Gorillaz, came out in 2001 and was a huge hit, especially with the song "Clint Eastwood". Their second album, Demon Days (2005), was even more successful, featuring popular songs like "Feel Good Inc." and "Dare".

Later albums include Plastic Beach (2010), which talked about environmental themes, and The Fall (2010), which Damon Albarn recorded on his iPad while on tour. In 2017, they released Humanz, followed by The Now Now in 2018. In 2020, Gorillaz started a unique web series called Song Machine, releasing new songs and videos regularly, which became their album Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez. Their eighth album, Cracker Island, came out in 2023, and their ninth album, The Mountain, was released in 2026, inspired by music from India.

Gorillaz has performed live in many creative ways. Sometimes the real musicians were hidden, and the animated characters were projected on stage. Since 2010, the live band has been fully visible. They have won many important awards, including a Grammy Award and several MTV Europe Music Awards. They also won Best British Group at the 2018 Brit Awards.

The Story of Gorillaz

How Gorillaz Began (1998–2002)

Musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, the co-creators of Gorillaz

The amazing musician Damon Albarn and comic artist Jamie Hewlett first met in 1990. The idea for Gorillaz came to them in 1997 while they were watching music videos on TV. They felt that a lot of music at the time felt too "manufactured" or fake.

Jamie Hewlett explained that they wanted to create a "virtual band" that would be a fun comment on this. Damon Albarn agreed, wanting to make a band that was manufactured but also really interesting. They first called themselves "Gorilla."

From 1998 to 2000, Damon Albarn worked on the first Gorillaz album. He explored new music styles like hip-hop and Latin music, which was exciting for him. The first Gorillaz release was an EP called Tomorrow Comes Today in November 2000. This EP also showed off the virtual band members for the very first time in a music video.

American hip-hop producer Dan "the Automator" Nakamura helped create the band's first album.

Damon Albarn invited American hip-hop producer Dan "the Automator" Nakamura to help finish the first album. Dan brought in other talented artists like rapper Del the Funky Homosapien and DJ Kid Koala. Many other artists also joined in, which became a signature style for Gorillaz.

The first album, Gorillaz, was released on March 26, 2001. It was a huge success, selling over 7 million copies worldwide. Songs like "Clint Eastwood" and "19-2000" became very popular. Jamie Hewlett also designed the band's website, which was like an interactive tour of their fictional "Kong Studios."

When Gorillaz first toured, the real musicians played behind a big screen. On the screen, Hewlett's cool visuals of the animated band members were projected. Sometimes, voice actors for the virtual band members even spoke live to the audience!

Demon Days and More Success (2005–2006)

Albarn asked Danger Mouse to produce the band's second album Demon Days.

After touring with his other band, Blur, Damon Albarn decided to return to Gorillaz. He and Jamie Hewlett wanted to show that Gorillaz was more than just a one-time project. Their second album, Demon Days, came out on May 11, 2005. It was even more successful than the first!

Demon Days had a slightly darker feel, inspired by Damon Albarn's travels. He described it as a "concept album" that told a story. American producer Danger Mouse helped create the album, bringing his unique touch. Like before, many different artists collaborated on the album, including De La Soul on the hit song "Feel Good Inc."

Instead of a long tour, Gorillaz performed Demon Days live for a few nights in Manchester and New York. The real band was visible on stage, but their silhouettes were shown with cool lighting. The animated Gorillaz members also "performed" at awards shows using special 3D animation technology.

Plastic Beach and The Fall (2010–2012)

Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett worked on an opera called Monkey: Journey to the West before their next Gorillaz project. This experience led to their third Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach.

Plastic Beach was inspired by environmental themes, like plastic pollution in the ocean. Damon Albarn imagined a "secret floating island" made of trash. He produced this album himself and aimed for a more electronic pop sound. It featured the largest number of guest artists yet, including Snoop Dogg, Bobby Womack, and Lou Reed.

The 2010 live shows supporting Plastic Beach saw the touring band performing in full view of the audience for the first time.

Plastic Beach was released on March 3, 2010, and was another big hit. The band went on their first world tour, the Escape to Plastic Beach Tour. For these shows, the real touring band performed fully visible on stage for the first time.

While on tour, Damon Albarn recorded new Gorillaz songs entirely on his iPad. These recordings became the album The Fall, released digitally on Christmas Day 2010. He wanted it to be like a musical diary of his experiences in America.

In 2012, Gorillaz released the single "DoYaThing" with James Murphy and André 3000. Jamie Hewlett directed the music video, which showed animated versions of the collaborators with the virtual Gorillaz members.

A Break and a Return with Humanz (2012–2018)

After 2012, Gorillaz took a break for a few years. Damon Albarn worked on solo music and with Blur, while Jamie Hewlett focused on art. In 2014, Damon Albarn hinted that he wanted to make another Gorillaz album. He and Jamie Hewlett decided to continue the band, realizing how much they enjoyed working together.

American hip-hop and house producer the Twilite Tone co-produced the band's fifth album Humanz.

Recording for their fifth album, Humanz, began in late 2015. Damon Albarn worked with producers Anthony Khan (known as the Twilite Tone) and Remi Kabaka Jr., who also voices Russel Hobbs. They imagined the album as the soundtrack to "a party for the end of the world," inspired by current events.

Humanz was released on April 28, 2017, after seven years without a new studio album. It featured many guest artists like Popcaan, Vince Staples, and Grace Jones. The album had a modern hip-hop and R&B sound. The music video for the lead single "Saturnz Barz" used cool 360-degree video technology.

Gorillaz (with Albarn to the left) on stage at the Brixton Academy in London, June 2017

The band then went on the Humanz Tour, performing with many of their collaborators. They also started the Demon Dayz Festival, a music festival curated by Gorillaz.

The Now Now and New Adventures (2018–2019)

Damon Albarn continued writing songs while on the Humanz Tour. He wanted to release new music quickly, comparing it to how The Fall was made. He worked with producer James Ford and Remi Kabaka Jr. to create their sixth album, The Now Now.

Released on June 29, 2018, The Now Now featured mostly upbeat songs with new wave influences from the 1980s. It had fewer guest artists than previous albums, with Damon Albarn doing most of the singing. He wanted this album to focus more on the virtual character 2-D's perspective.

In the Gorillaz story, Ace from The Powerpuff Girls joined the band as a temporary bassist. He filled in for Murdoc Niccals, who was in a fictional prison at the time. This fun crossover was a nod to the band's love for cartoons.

A documentary called Gorillaz: Reject False Icons was released in 2019. It showed a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Humanz and The Now Now, as well as their tours.

Song Machine and Meanwhile EP (2020–2021)

On January 29, 2020, Gorillaz announced an exciting new project called Song Machine. Instead of a traditional album, they released new songs monthly as "episodes" of a web series. Each episode featured different guest musicians.

The first episode, "Momentary Bliss", came out on January 31 and featured British rapper Slowthai and punk-rock duo Slaves. Other episodes included collaborations with artists like Fatoumata Diawara, Peter Hook, Skepta, Octavian, and Schoolboy Q.

In September 2020, they released "Strange Timez" with Robert Smith from The Cure. This song was part of their seventh studio album, Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez, which was released on October 23, 2020. This album included even more guest stars like Elton John and 6lack.

In 2021, Gorillaz celebrated their first album's 20th anniversary. They also debuted three new songs, "Meanwhile," "Jimmy Jimmy," and "Déjà Vu," at a concert in London. These songs were later released as the Meanwhile.

World Tour and Cracker Island (2022–2024)

In 2022, Gorillaz embarked on a world tour across South America, Europe, Australia, and North America. They also started teasing new music, inviting fans to join "The Last Cult."

The band released a new single called "Cracker Island" on June 22, 2022, featuring Thundercat. This song was a preview of their eighth studio album, also titled Cracker Island, which was released on February 24, 2023. The album was produced with Greg Kurstin and included collaborations with Stevie Nicks, Bad Bunny, and Beck.

Cracker Island received positive reviews, with critics noting its refined and energetic style. A deluxe version of the album was released in February 2023, featuring more songs and appearances by past collaborators like Del the Funky Homosapien and De La Soul. The album was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in 2024.

25th Anniversary and The Mountain (2025–Present)

To celebrate their 25th anniversary, Gorillaz released a video called Nostalgiaz in January 2025, featuring clips from their music videos. In March, Damon Albarn confirmed he was finishing a new Gorillaz album.

In August 2025, the band launched an exhibition in London called "House of Kong." This event included daily live performances where they played their first three albums. For a special "mystery" show on September 3, 2025, the band revealed their new album in full, playing 15 new songs with many guest artists.

On September 11, 2025, Gorillaz officially announced their ninth album, The Mountain, which was released on February 27, 2026. The lead single, "The Happy Dictator," featured the band Sparks. The album is being promoted during The Mountain Tour, with concerts across Europe from March to June 2026.

On March 7, 2026, Gorillaz performed live on the American TV show Saturday Night Live. They played "Clint Eastwood" with Del the Funky Homosapien and "The Moon Cave" with Asha Puthli, Black Thought, and Anoushka Shankar.

Gorillaz's Unique Style and Influence

Gorillaz's music blends many different styles, including art pop, alternative rock, hip hop, electronic, and world music. Critics have described their overall look and approach as very modern and unique.

According to AllMusic, Gorillaz mixes Britpop and hip-hop. The Guardian called their sound a mix of dub, hip-hop, and indie music. Their early work helped show how hip-hop, rock, and electronic sounds could come together in pop music.

Gorillaz gets inspiration from many musical artists like Massive Attack, the Specials, and A Tribe Called Quest. Visually, they are influenced by cartoons like Hanna-Barbera and Looney Tunes, and comics like Mad magazine. The idea for a virtual band was also inspired by older cartoon bands like the Archies and Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Many musical artists and bands have been influenced by Gorillaz, including Major Lazer, Foster the People, The 1975, Grimes, and Billie Eilish. Billie Eilish even performed "Feel Good Inc." with Damon Albarn and Posdnuos of De La Soul.

Meet the Band Members

Virtual Members

A graphic on-stage at the Escape to Plastic Beach Tour showing the virtual members.

Current

• 2-D – lead vocals, keyboards, guitar (1998–present)
• Murdoc Niccals – bass (1998–present), drum machine (2008–present)
• Noodle – guitar, keyboards, vocals (1998–2006; 2012–present)
• Russel Hobbs – drums, percussion, drum machine (1998–2006; 2012–present)

Murdoc Faust Niccals is the bassist for the band. He is voiced by Phil Cornwell and was created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. Murdoc is known for his mischievous personality and unique style. He was inspired by famous musicians and characters like Victor Frankenstein. Murdoc first appeared in Gorillaz' debut EP, Tomorrow Comes Today, in 2000.

Stuart Harold "2-D" Pot provides the lead vocals and plays the keyboard for the band. 2-D's singing voice is provided by Damon Albarn. His speaking voice was first provided by Nelson De Freitas, and since 2017, by Kevin Bishop. 2-D was created by Albarn and Hewlett in 1998.

Noodle plays lead guitar and keyboards, and sometimes sings backup. She was created in 1998 by Albarn and Hewlett and is originally from Japan. Noodle's voice has been provided by Haruka Kuroda, Miho Hatori, and Haruka Abe. Jamie Hewlett first imagined a different character, but Damon Albarn suggested creating "something different," leading to the cool, martial arts-expert Noodle. In 2016, Noodle became a global ambassador for Jaguar Racing.

Russel Hobbs was created by Hewlett and Albarn in 1998 to represent the hip-hop side of Gorillaz. He embodies the spirit of the band's many collaborations with rappers. Russel's speaking voice is provided by Remi Kabaka Jr., who has also been a real-life percussionist and producer for Gorillaz since 2017. Russel's fictional story of being influenced by the spirits of dead musicians inspired the band's idea of working with many guest artists.

Former

• Paula Cracker – guitar (1998)
• Cyborg Noodle – guitar, vocals (2008–2010)
• Ace – bass (2018)

Other past virtual members include Ace, a character from The Powerpuff Girls. He played bass with the band on The Now Now (2018) when Murdoc was away. Cyborg Noodle was a robotic version of Noodle who filled in on guitar and vocals during the Plastic Beach phase when the real Noodle was missing. Paula Cracker was the band's very first guitarist and 2-D's former girlfriend before Noodle joined.

Virtual Members Timeline

Real-Life Touring Members

Real-Life Touring Members Timeline

Gorillaz Music Albums

Studio Albums

Gorillaz Live Tours

Awards and Nominations

See also