Damon Albarn

Alternative rock, Musical Artist

1968 –

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Who is Damon Albarn?

Damon Albarn is an English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is best known for being the frontman of the Britpop/alternative rock band Blur as well as vocalist and principal songwriter of virtual band Gorillaz.

Raised in Leytonstone, East London and around Colchester, Essex, Albarn attended Stanway Comprehensive School, where he met Graham Coxon and eventually formed Blur whose debut album, Leisure, was released in 1991 to mixed reviews. After spending long periods of time touring the United States, Albarn's songwriting became increasingly influenced by British bands from the 1960s. The result of these influences came in the form of Modern Life Is Rubbish, Parklife and The Great Escape. All three albums received widespread critical acclaim while Blur gained mass popularity in the UK, aided by a rivalry shared with Oasis. Subsequent albums contained influences from lo-fi, electronic and hip hop music.

In 1998, Albarn along with Tank Girl creator Jamie Hewlett, formed the "virtual band" Gorillaz. Drawing influences from hip hop, electronica, dub and alternative rock, the band released their self-titled debut album in 2001 which was hugely successful worldwide. Although Albarn is the only permanent musical contributor, the albums feature many collaborations from a wide range of artists. Gorillaz are cited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the "Most Successful Virtual Band".

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Born
Mar 23, 1968
Whitechapel
Also known as
  • Norman Balda
  • Dan Abnormal
  • damon_albarn
  • Abnormal, Dan
  • Albarn, Damon
  • Balda, Norman
  • Blur
  • the Bad & the Queen The Good
Parents
Siblings
Spouses
Children
Ethnicity
  • English people
Nationality
  • England
Profession
Education
  • Goldsmiths College
Lived in
  • Leytonstone
  • London
  • Colchester

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

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