Róisín Murphy
Róisín Marie Murphy (/roʊˈʃiːn/ roh-SHEEN, Irish: [ɾˠoːˈʃiːnʲ]; born 5 July 1973) is an Irish singer, songwriter and record producer.[10] She first became known in the 1990s as one half of the pop duo Moloko alongside English musician Mark Brydon. After the breakup of Moloko, she embarked on a solo career and released her debut solo album Ruby Blue (written and produced with experimental musician Matthew Herbert) to critical praise in 2005. Her second solo album, Overpowered, was released in 2007.
After an eight-year hiatus—which was sporadically interrupted by non-album singles, side projects and guest appearances on other artists' records—Murphy released her third solo album Hairless Toys in 2015; it was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and Ireland's Choice Music Prize. The following year, she released her fourth album Take Her Up to Monto. In 2018, she released four 12" releases in collaboration with producer Maurice Fulton. Murphy released her fifth and sixth solo albums, Róisín Machine and Hit Parade in 2020 and 2023, respectively. The albums received critical acclaim.
Early life[edit]
Róisín Marie Murphy was born in Arklow on 5 July 1973. When she was 12 years old, she and her family moved to England, where they settled in Manchester.[11] She embraced 1960s fashion from going with her mother, who was an antiques dealer, to car boot sales and charity shops.[12] After three years of living in Manchester, her parents divorced and both of them moved back to Ireland.[13] 15-year-old Murphy, however, insisted on remaining alone in England because she did not think that her mother had the strength to continue taking care of her.[14] She lived with her best friend for a year, until she could receive Housing Benefit and move into a nearby apartment.[13]
Murphy's school years were difficult as she recalled in 2019: "I never felt it was like being bullied; I always felt I intimidated people, and that was why I got in trouble."[15] She befriended a group of "weird boys who wore black" and who listened to The Jesus and Mary Chain.[11] When Murphy attended a Sonic Youth concert with a friend, she was inspired to become a performer.[15] She concealed her singing voice, not wanting other people to know she "sounded like Elaine Paige".[11] She later joined a post-punk band that split after a handful of performances.[16] She enrolled in a sixth form college at the age of 17 and later considered going to art school.[13] At the age of 19, she moved to Sheffield,[11][17] where she began going to nightclubs and was inspired by the Vivienne Westwood designs she saw at Trash.[12]
Career[edit]
1994–2003: Moloko[edit]
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."[18] Brydon brought Murphy to his Fon Studios, where he auditioned her voice on tape, and liked Murphy's theatrical delivery. They began dating, and the newly formed Moloko were signed to Echo Records, releasing their debut album Do You Like My Tight Sweater? the following year.[13] The album was described by Heather Phares of AllMusic as combining elements of trip hop and funk with electronic dance music, using a more humorous approach than some of their contemporaries.[18] The follow-up I Am Not a Doctor covered similar musical ground,[18] and a remix by Boris Dlugosch of "Sing It Back" enjoyed international success, and would go on to be featured on more than 110 compilation albums.[11] In place of paying Dlugosch, Murphy helped write "Never Enough",[19] which reached number sixteen on the UK Singles Chart in June 2001.[20]
October 2000 saw the release of Moloko's third album Things to Make and Do, for which they employed more live instrumentation, and more multifaceted arrangements by keyboardist Eddie Stevens.[21] The album reached number three on the UK Albums Chart, and "The Time Is Now" became their most successful British single, reaching number two.[20] Murphy and Brydon broke up but were contractually obligated to deliver further albums. After the 2003 release of Statues, Brydon backed out of much of the album's promotion, so Murphy handled most of it herself.[14]
Although no official statement was issued pertaining to Moloko's future, Murphy told Q magazine in May 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."
Solo
With Moloko