The Gorillaz

The Gorillaz is a musical project of Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, which consists of four
virtual characters and features music heavily influenced by reggae, indie, electronica, and hip
hop styles. The group:
 Is the Guinness World Record-holder for the title of the Most Successful Virtual Band,
 Is the winner of many music awards, including a Grammy Award for Best Pop
Collaboration [2006],
 Has released five studio albums, earning record sales as high as five times platinum.

The Gorillaz started as a collaboration project in 1998 between Albarn, a musician, and Hewlett,
a comic book artist. The band’s music style and art style was heavily influenced by MTV during
this period. The duo, and the fictional band, went on to release their self-titled album to positive
acclaim in 2001. Several other singles and three other studio albums were released by the band
between 2001 and 2011. Albarn and Hewlett put the band on a hiatus due to personal conflicts.

The Gorillaz announced via social media early March of 2017 that a new album announced the
return of the band. The fifth studio album Humanz is announced to release in April, with four
singles already released.

The Gorillaz have long been regarded as successful, blending many different musical styles and
themes with provacative imagery. They have received acclaim for the individuality given to each
fictional member of the band, as well as for the storyline given to the band. They have many
awards to their name, as well as five time platinum status in their native United Kingdom and
double platinum in the United States.