Róisín Murphy

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Róisín Murphy in November 2007
Róisín Murphy in November 2007
Background information
Birth name Róisín Marie Murphy
Born July 5, 1973 (1973-07-05) (age 34)
Flag of Ireland Arklow, Wicklow, Ireland
Genre(s) Electronica, Experimental, Pop, Jazz
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, producer
Years active 1995–present
Label(s) Echo, EMI
Associated acts Moloko
Website RoisinMurphy.com

Róisín Marie Murphy (pronounced /roʊˈʃiːn/ ro-SHEEN; born 5 July 1973) is an Irish electronica singer, songwriter, and producer.

Murphy first came to note as part of the electronic music duo Moloko. Her partner in the band was then-boyfriend Mark Brydon. After the two ended their romantic relationship, Murphy released her debut solo album Ruby Blue, written and produced with Matthew Herbert, in 2005. Her second solo album Overpowered was released in 2007. On January 10, 2008, Overpowered received a nomination for the Choice Music Prize in the Republic of Ireland; the award is given each year to an Irish artist who has proved to produce a critically acclaimed album.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Murphy was brought up in Arklow, County Wicklow, Republic of Ireland. Murphy was nonconformist at an early age; at nine years old, she used her savings to cut her long blonde hair for a flattop, to her father's dismay. When she was twelve, her family moved to Manchester in England.[1] Murphy embraced 1960s fashions from going with her mother, an antique dealer, to car boot sales and charity shops.[2] She concealed her singing voice, not wanting other people to know she sounded like Paige when she enjoyed listening to the likes of Sonic Youth instead.[1]

After three years of living in Manchester, her parents divorced and moved back to Ireland.[3] Róisín insisted on remaining alone in England because she didn't think that her mother had the strength to continue taking care of her.[4] Murphy lived with her best friend for a year, until she could receive Housing Benefit and live in a nearby apartment.[3] She was bullied at school and befriended a group of "weird boys who wore black" and who listened to the Jesus and Mary Chain.[1] She enrolled in a sixth form college at seventeen and later considered going to art school.[3] She moved to Sheffield[1] where she began going to nightclubs and was inspired by the Vivienne Westwood designs she saw at Trash.[2]

[edit] Career

[edit] Moloko (1994-2003)

Murphy met Mark Brydon in 1994 at a party, using the chat-up line "Do you like my tight sweater? See how it fits my body."[5] The two had a studio rehearsal, and Brydon liked Murphy's theatrical delivery. They began dating, and were signed to Echo Records, releasing their debut album Do You Like My Tight Sweater? the following year.[3] The album combined trip hop and funk with electronic dance music, using a more humorous approach than some of their contemporaries.[5] The follow-up I Am Not a Doctor covered similar musical ground,[5] and a remix by Boris Dlugosch of "Sing It Back" enjoyed international success, featured on 110 compilation albums.[1] In place of paying Dlugosch, Murphy helped write "Never Enough",[6] which reached number sixteen on the UK Singles Chart in June 2001.[7]

Murphy at the Orange Music Experience Festival, Ruby Blue tour, Haifa, 2005-06-27
Murphy at the Orange Music Experience Festival, Ruby Blue tour, Haifa, 2005-06-27

That October saw the release of Moloko's third album Things to Make and Do, for which they employed more live instrumentation.[8] The album reached number three on the UK Albums Chart, and "The Time Is Now" became their most successful British single, reaching number two.[7] Murphy and Brydon broke up but were contractually obligated to make another album. After the 2003 release of Statues, Brydon backed out of much of the album's promotion, so Murphy handled most of it herself.[4] Although no official statement was issued pertaining to Moloko's future, Murphy had this to say in a Q Magazine interview in May 2005 (which was reiterated in the review of Ruby Blue in July 2005):

“ We left it on good terms after a very successful tour. We shook hands, said, "See you later", and haven't spoken since. I don't know what Mark thinks of this record or what he's doing. I don't know if we will or we won't reunite. Myself, I don't not want to. ”

[edit] Solo career (2004-present)

Murphy began doing solo work while still in Moloko, which included her contributions to the works of other artists including Handsome Boy Modeling School and Boris Dlugosch, for whom she sang on the track "Never Enough," which became a huge club hit, hitting the top three of the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart.

Murphy recorded her first official solo material in 2004 with producer Matthew Herbert, who had previously done remixes for Moloko. She released her debut album Ruby Blue in June 2005 in the UK on Echo Records. Prior to this, tracks from the album were made available on three limited edition, vinyl-only releases: Sequins #1, Sequins #2 and Sequins #3. The release of the EP's was to precede a London exhbition by artist Simon Henwood, featuring paintings of Murphy in various sequined outfits (some of Henwood's paintings are used as cover images for the record jackets).[9] The titling is also an obvious pun on "sequins" and the related word "sequence". Henwood also directed the two video clips for the album's singles ("If We're In Love" and "Sow into You").

Ruby Blue was released in the United States on April 25, 2006 by a subsidiary of EMI. The song "Ruby Blue" was featured on the Grey's Anatomy (Volume 1) soundtrack; several other tracks from the album were licensed by the show and played during episodes.[10][11][12] The show's music supervisor, Alexandra Patsavas, gave Murphy's album a positive review on the show's official website.[13] The song was also featured as the theme song for MTV Italia's show Very Victoria, hosted by Victoria Cabello, during its first two season.

Roisin performing in Belgrade, Serbia (August 26, 2007)
Roisin performing in Belgrade, Serbia (August 26, 2007)

In May 2006, Murphy announced on her website forum that she had signed with EMI and was working on new material. The first single, "Overpowered", was released on July 2, 2007. "Overpowered" was written by Murphy and Seiji of Bugz in the Attic and mixed by Tom Elmhirst (Amy Winehouse, Röyksopp, Grace Jones). The single is accompanied by a series of remixes from the likes of Seamus Haji, Kris Menace, Hervé and Loose Cannons.[14] The second single "Let Me Know" (a collaboration with Groove Armada), was released in September and the album, named Overpowered, was released soon after. [15]

In September 2007, Murphy was nominated for an MTV Europe Music Award for Best Intreact. She performed "Let Me Know" on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on Friday 5 October 2007.

Murphy sustained an eye injury on 27 October 2007, while on tour in Russia to promote Overpowered. She was forced to cancel several subsequent dates on the tour. [16]

She confirmed to be present in July at BestFest 2008 in Bucharest, Romania.

[edit] Discography

For a complete list of releases, see Róisín Murphy discography.

[edit] Studio albums

[edit] Singles

Year Single Chart positions Album
UK BEL BUL DK EU FIN GER NL POL
2005 "If We're in Love" 234 — — — — — — — — Ruby Blue
"Sow into You" — — — — — — — — —
2007 "Overpowered" 149 28 13 34 — 10 86 44 — Overpowered
"Let Me Know" 28 25 13 — 82 11 — 88 37
2008 "You Know Me Better" 47 — 18 — — — — — 39
"Movie Star" TBR TBR TBR TBR TBR TBR TBR TBR TBR
"—" denotes singles that were released but did not chart.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e Ramaswamy, Chitra. "Murphy's Law". Scotland on Sunday. October 7, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
  2. ^ a b "Retail therapy: Fashion Rocks". The Daily Telegraph. October 17, 2005. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
  3. ^ a b c d Sturges, Fiona. "Roisin Murphy: Dressed to kill". The Independent. June 17, 2005.
  4. ^ a b Sullivan, Caroline. "Her time is now". The Guardian. May 27, 2005. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
  5. ^ a b c Phares, Heather. "Moloko > Biography". All Music Guide. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  6. ^ "A dose of his own medicine". The Daily Telegraph. May 2001. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  7. ^ a b "Search Results -- Singles". everyHit.com. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  8. ^ "Moloko - Catalogue". PopMatters. July 27, 2006. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  9. ^ [1]simonhenwood.com
  10. ^ Patsavas, Alexandra. "Music Guide". ABC. Retrieved January 4, 2007.
  11. ^ Patsavas, Alexandra. "Music Guide". ABC. Retrieved January 4, 2007.
  12. ^ Patsavas, Alexandra. "Music Guide". ABC. Retrieved January 4, 2007.
  13. ^ Patsavas, Alexandra. "Music Guide". ABC. Retrieved January 4, 2007.
  14. ^ Moloko singer returns with electronic album
  15. ^ http://www.roisinmurphy.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=1372
  16. ^ Roisin Murphy recovering after eye-socket injury | News | Guardian Unlimited Music

[edit] External links

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Róisín Murphy
Studio albums
Singles
Related articles
Discography  · Moloko  · Echo  · EMI