He is mostly known for being part of the bands "Blur" and "Gorillaz" but has a number of other ensembles and even some supergroups, he writes, produces, and he is a talented musician with years of creativity.
Here are some interesting details about the English guy Damon Albarn who was born on March 23, 1968.
(Photo: Linda Brownlee)
1. Albarn's first job was at the age of 6 months when he served as a "tester" for games and aids for young children at his father's play company "Playlearn", Ltd.
2. His first appearance was when he was a year old at the performance of the Osmonds, a band of five Jackson-5 brothers.
3. From a young age he loved music and played guitar, piano and violin. He also loved to write music and even won a song competition in a national competition "The Young Composer".
4. In high school he did not really integrate and found refuge in drama classes and plays while taking actor roles in a number of plays at school. There he met Graham Coxon (Blur guitarist) when he also played in school plays and from there the two became good friends.
5. He wanted to develop an acting career and started studying at "East 15 Acting School" but very quickly he got tired of studying and even before the end of the first year he left.
6. After leaving school he started working in the recording studio "Beat Factory" where he collaborated with several bands including: Two's a Crowd, Aftermath, and Real Lives.
7. He began studying music at "Goldsmiths College" in 1988 when he was a member of the band "Circus" with his friend Graham guitarist and drummer Dave Rowntree. They added their classmate, bassist Alex James and changed their name to "Seymour" but in March 1990 they changed their name again to "Blur" before signing a record deal with "Food Records".
(Photo: Blur)
8. The band's first single was "She's So High", in October 1990, it failed to bring the band the breakthrough it had hoped for. But in April 1991, after teaming up with producer Stephen Street, they released the single
"There's No Other Way" which became a hit and starred at the top of the charts.
9. The band's first album was released in August 1991 and was called "Leisure". After the release of the album, the band embarked on a tour in the United States, which became a diligent failure, and over time the band was fed up with the American culture. Which caused a strong longing for English culture.
10. Albern is the one in charge of writing in the band and the longings made him write an entire album about English culture. The band's second album "Modern Life Is Rubbish" was released in May 1993. Here the band switched to British guitar-pop style as Albern writes humorously about life and dreams in the suburbs of England. This album has already had greater success in the UK but has struggled to reach the US charts.
11. The album "Parklife" released in April 1994 launched the band straight into outer space... The single "Girls & Boys" conquered the charts and remained in first place in England for 90 weeks. Graham said, that was the point where the band turned from an alternative niche band to a pop sensation.
12. In September 1995, the band's fourth album "The Great Escape" was released. Although the single "Country House" competed against the "Roll With It" single from "Oasis" and won, the band lost its stardust and became a big loser. The situation greatly affected Albern who went from hero to loser.
13. The band released four more albums: "Blur" in 1997, "13" in 1999, "Think Tank" in 2003
And "The Magic Whip" in 2015.
14. Albern's second big project is the virtual band "Gorillaz". In 1990 he met with comic artist Jamie Hewlett and together they formed the band, with the two being the only prominent members of the band and in each album and performance the other musicians change. The two got the idea when they shared an apartment together and watched MTV excessively, they felt they needed something that would look different in the MTV landscape and make viewers think and imagine. The band combines styles of Britpop, hip-hop, rock, and pop.
(Photo: Gorillaz)
15. The band's debut album bearing the band's name was released in March 2001 and instantly turned into a hysterical hit and rising star with sales of over 7 million copies.
16. The band's second album "Demon Days" was released in May 2005 and continued the success with five Grammy Award nominations and winning one award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
17. They released four more albums: "Plastic Beach" and "The Fall" in 2010, "Humanz" in 2017, and "The Now Now".
18. In 2002, Albern released his first solo album "Mali Music".
19. In 2003 he released his first EP "Democrazy" which consisted of demo songs he recorded in hotels during the "Blur" tour.
20. In 2011, Albern released his second solo album "Kinshasa One Two" in which he collaborated with over 10 producers and more than 50 artists. He recorded the album for 9 days during which he stayed in the Congo to celebrate and enhance the local music and independence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
21. In 2007 he formed a supergroup called "The Good, the Bad & the Queen" with Clash bassist Paul Simonon, guitarist Simon Tong, and drummer Tony Allen. The band has released two albums:
"The Good, the Bad & the Queen" in 2007 and "Merrie Land".
22. In 2008 he formed another supergroup called "Rocket Juice & the Moon" with musicians Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tony Allen. They released a single album in 2012.
23. Albern has worked with other ensembles and artists as a writer, composer, and producer including The Strokes, Bobby Womack, De La Soul and many others.
24. In 2014, Albern released his third solo album and perhaps the only one considered personal and independent called "Everyday Robots", the album received rave reviews and even reached number two on the UK charts.
25. In 2021 he released another Solo album "The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows".
It was originally planned as an orchestral piece inspired by the landscapes of Iceland, but Albarn expanded the project into a full-length album during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
So let's finish with this review with this album, listen on: Spotify, Apple Music