|
|
| Birth Name(s) : Jamiroquai |
Date of Birth: N/A |
| Status:
Single
|
Partner:
|
| Profession:
N/A |
| << Add Jamiroquai To Your Favorites |
Jamiroquai Sponsors
|
Full Jamiroquai Biography
Jamiroquai's first single, "When You Gonna Learn?", was released in 1992 on the Acid Jazz label. Following its success, Kay signed an eight-album record deal with Sony BMG Music Entertainment. The first Sony album, Emergency on Planet Earth was released in 1993. It was followed in 1994 by The Return of the Space Cowboy. The single "Space Cowboy" gained notice on the charts and in club rotation.
While Jamiroquai was growing in popularity in the UK and Western Europe, they remained relatively unknown to U.S and other international audiences. The band's international breakthrough came with the third album, Travelling Without Moving in 1996, which yielded two big hits, "Virtual Insanity" and "Cosmic Girl". The success of "Virtual Insanity" was due in part to its innovative video, which featured Kay's dance moves and some gravity-defying images. At the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, the creative videoclip for "Virtual Insanity" won four awards, including Best Video, Best Special Effects, Best Cinematography, and Breakthrough Video. The song was featured in Konami's rhythm game Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 3 for the Xbox as well as party game Karaoke Revolution 2 for the Playstation 2, also by Konami.
The acid jazz flavours and ethnic influences of the first three albums were all but extinct by the release of Synkronized in 1999. Jay Kay's interest in funk and disco music were shifting the band's directions towards such. By their fifth album, A Funk Odyssey (2001), they had evolved so drastically, that some critics and listeners would remark they lost the 'Jamiroquai sound'. With the departure of more and more original band members, including Wallis Buchanan and his didgeridoo, Jamiroquai had become a very different band than that of 1992. In spite of the changes, the fifth album's first single, "Little L", reached #1 in many charts worldwide.
Their sixth album, titled Dynamite was released on June 20, 2005. It reached #3 on the UK charts. The first single, "Feels Just Like It Should" was released early in June, the second, "Seven Days In Sunny June" released on August 15th, followed by the third, "(Don't) Give Hate A Chance" on November 7th.
Jamiroquai released a greatest hits collection, High Times: Singles 1992-2006 in November 2006. The release of this album marked the end of Kay’s eight-album contract with Sony. The album reached the number 1 spot in the UK album chart after its first week of release. The album featured two new tracks, "Runaway" and "Radio". On September 18, 2006, "Runaway" was given its first play by UK radio stations. It was released as a single on October 30.
In March 2006, Jamiroquai announced their switch to Columbia Records. Future releases will appear under the Columbia imprint.
In October 2006, Jamiroquai recorded a live session for Live From Abbey Road at Abbey Road Studios. Their performance was shown alongside those of Damien Rice and the Goo Goo Dolls on the UK's Channel 4 in January 2007.
In March 2007, the Daily Mail stated that Jay Kay planned to retire so that he could raise a family. In an interview, the 37-year-old Kay said that the only thing that mattered now was "having kids and finding a good woman." In response to the Daily Mirror article Jay Kay wrote a statement on the official Jamiroquai site:“As usual they got it wrong for a cheap headline! All I said was that we’re taking a bit of time out to get the studio refurbished and we’ll be back making music in a few months time. There’s no way I’m quitting the music business - now I am out of my long contract with SonyBMG we have so many options open to us we’re just going to take our time and get it right - it's just getting interesting!”
At the Intel gig in March 2007 Jay said he will take a vacation in Jamaica before starting the recording process of the next album.
Kay expressed dissatisfaction with his longtime record label Sony Music. In a November 2006 interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, he commented that "These days it's 18% music and it's bloody 82% marketing bullshit ... Next time I do an album, I'm gonna put it up on the internet for five fucking dollars."
He also remarked that the Jamiroquai "greatest hits" album was released purely out of contractual obligation: "2006, they're out of the fucking picture."
These comments, and other recent comments in an interview with The Sun ("There are other things I want to do with my life ... I want peace and quiet and to meet a nice girl and have some little pitter-patterers and chill out.") fueled rumours that the Dynamite tour of 2005/2006 would be cancelled.
Former members
- Toby Smith - Keyboards (1992-2002)
- Wallis Buchanan - Didgeridoo (1992-2001)
- Gavin Dodds - Guitar (1993-1994)
- Simon Katz - Guitar (1995-2000)
- Stuart Zender - Bass (1993-1998)
- Nick Fyffe - Bass (1998-2003)
- Nick Van Gelder - Drums (1993)
- Darren Galea aka DJ D-Zire - Turntables (1993-2001)
- Adrian Revell - Flute, Saxophone
- Winston Rollins - Trombone
- John Thirkell - Trumpet (1993-1998)
- Simon Carter - Keyboards (1999-2002)
- Maurizio Ravalico - Percussion (1993)
- Dee Lewis - Backing Vocals
Former members: Gavin Dodds | Simon Katz | Nick Fyffe | Stuart Zender | Simon Carter | Toby Smith | Nick Van Gelder | DJ D-Zire | Winston Rollins | Adrian Revell | Wallis Buchanan | Beverley Knight
Studio albums: Emergency on Planet Earth | The Return of the Space Cowboy | Travelling without Moving | Synkronized | A Funk Odyssey | Dynamite |
|
Jamiroquai Listing
|
| Add Jamiroquai Biography (SuperUSERS) + |
| Add Jamiroquai Review/Comment
|
HQ Jamiroquai Pictures (1) | Random Jamiroquai Picture
|
| << Back to the Jamiroquai Homepage |
|
