JAMIROQUAI
Jamiroquai, almost into its 13th year odyssey through the galaxy of funk. The band has generated some amazing statistics over this time. The five albums released since Jay Kay's 1992 emergence from London's acid jazz underworld have probably reached over the 20million copies mark. 1996's "Travelling With out moving" and 1999's "Synkronized, have sold over 11 million copies between them. If front man Jay Kay was a little less self aware, he'd be over the moon about all those sky scrapping figures:

"Success is when I see all those people standing out there in front of me having a good time, and knowing that you've got a great album on your hands that you enjoy as much as they do, " says Jay. " What's important about selling 16 million albums is it's right across the world. It's not just the UK, there's a whole world of people out there."

People ask me where the fuck does the word Jamiroquai come from? I'll tell you, Jamiroquai was named after the Iroquois tribe whos pantheism inspired him. He made a rapid impact- they were signed to Sony records for an eight- album contract so their not dead yet!, and sony signed them all on the strength of just one single for Acid Jazz Records-

"When You Gonna Learn?". Kay born on the 30th of December 1969, Stretford, Manchester, England, was bought up in Ealing by his jazz singer mother, Karen Kay. Inspired by Sly Stone, Gil Scott- Heron and Roy Ayers, he integrated those influences into a 90s pop format that also combined "new age" mysticism and the growing urban funk movement, which took its name from the Acid Jazz label. How ever, as a former break dancer, he had alread recorded in a hip hop style, releasing a single with a sampler and drum machine for Morgan Khan's Streetsounds label in 1986. His first major label single, "Too Young To Die", immediately broke into the UK top 10 in 1993, while the debut album entered the chart at number 1. How ever, a press backlash soon followed, not helped by Kay's naive statements about the enviroment after he had blown his advance on petrol guzzling cars..pthff whats wrong with that....
Despite the healthy sales, his cause was not helped by a less spectacular debut album, whice came with an order form for his own brand clothing ( sever percent of profits going to Greenpeace), although there were strong compositions such as "If I Like It, I Do It". The Second album was considerable improvement, with the previous emphasis on his media relations now switched to music.
Backed by a regular band now comprising Stuart Zender born on the 18th of March 1974; bass, Toby Smith born on the 29th of October 1970, London, England, Keyboards, Wallis Buchanan born on the 29th of November 1965, London, England; Didgeridoo,vibes, and Derrick Mckenzie born on the 27th of March 1962, London England;Drums. You can tell Derrick Mckenzie is a legend because hes got my surname but he is getting on a bit and is the eldest member in the band so...he is not my friend i do not know him...he kinda scares me. Songs such as "Kids", "Return" and "Morning Glory" gave Kay's obvious vocal talents better service, adding ghetto hip-hop rhythms to the previous acid jazz and funk backkdrops.

Travelling Without Moving confirmed Jamiroquai as a highly commercial act, selling over seven million copies worldwide, and winning four trophies at the 1997 MTV awards. Following a string of UK hit singles including "Virtual Insanity", "Cosmic Girl" and "Alright, the band achieved their first UK chart topper when "Deeper Underground", taken from the soundtrack of the movie Godzilla, topped the charts in August 1998. At the end of the year it was confirmed that after the Spice girls and Oasis, Jamiroquai were the biggest selling UK artists of the decade.
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