Jamiroquai () are an English

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...

and acid jazz band from London. Formed in 1992, they are fronted by vocalist Jay Kay, and were prominent in the London-based funk and acid jazz movement of the 1990s. They built on their acid jazz sound in their early releases and later drew from rock,

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...

, electronic and

Latin music Latin music ( Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America (including Spain and Portugal) and the Latino United States inspired by Latin Amer ...

genres. Lyrically, the group has addressed

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

and

environmental justice Environmental justice is a social movement to address the unfair exposure of poor and marginalized communities to harms from hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses.Schlosberg, David. (2007) ''Defining Environmental Justi ...

. Kay has remained as the only original member through several line-up changes. The band made their debut under Acid Jazz Records but subsequently found mainstream success under

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

. While under this label, three of their albums have charted at number one in the UK, including '' Emergency on Planet Earth'' (1993), '' Synkronized'' (1999) and '' A Funk Odyssey'' (2001). The band's 1998 single, " Deeper Underground", was also number one in their native country. As of 2017, Jamiroquai had sold more than 26 million albums worldwide. Their third album, '' Travelling Without Moving'' (1996), received a

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

as the best-selling funk album in history. The music video for its lead single, " Virtual Insanity", also contributed to the band's success. The song was named Video of the Year at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards and earned the band a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

in 1998.

History

1992–1993: Formation and ''Emergency on Planet Earth''

Jay Kay was sending songs to record companies, including a hip-hop single released in 1986 under the label

StreetSounds StreetSounds is a British compilation record label, that specialised in urban and electronic club/dance music during the mid-1980s. StreetSounds was an offshoot of producer and promoter Morgan Khan's StreetWave label. The first StreetSounds re ...

. During this time, Kay was influenced by Native American and First Nation peoples and their philosophies; this led to the creation of " When You Gonna Learn", a song covering social issues. After he had it recorded, Kay fought with his producer, who took out half of the lyrics and produced the song based on what was charting at the time. With the track restored to his preference, the experience helped Kay realise he "wanted a proper live band with a proper live sound". The band would be named "Jamiroquai", a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsjam" and the name of a Native American confederacy, the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...

. He was signed to Acid Jazz Records in 1991 after he sent a

demo tape A demo (shortened from "demonstration") is a song or group of songs typically recorded for limited circulation or for reference use, rather than for general public release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas in a fixed for ...

of himself covering a song by the Brand New Heavies. Kay gradually gathered band members, including Wallis Buchanan, who played the

didgeridoo The didgeridoo (; also spelt didjeridu, among other variants) is a wind instrument, played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous Drone (music), drone while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing. The didgeridoo wa ...

. Kay's manager scouted keyboardist

Toby Smith Toby Grafftey-Smith (29 October 1970 – 11 April 2017), known professionally as Toby Smith, was an English musician, most famous for being the keyboardist and co-songwriter for Jamiroquai from 1992 until his departure in 2002. Background and p ...

, who joined the group as Kay's songwriting partner. In 1992, Jamiroquai began their career by performing in the British club scene. They released "When You Gonna Learn" as their debut single, charting outside the UK Top 50 on its initial release. In the following year,

Stuart Zender Stuart Patrick Jude Zender (born 18 March 1974) is an English bassist. He is best known as a former member of the band Jamiroquai. Biography Early life Zender was born in Sheffield, England. He comes from a family with a musical background: ...

became the band's bassist by audition. After the success of "When You Gonna Learn", the band were offered major-label contracts. Kay signed a one-million-dollar, eight-album record deal with Sony Soho². He was the only member under contract, but he would share his royalties with his band members in accordance to their contributions as musicians. Their label for US releases would be under the Work Group. The band released their debut album, '' Emergency on Planet Earth'', where it entered the UK albums chart at number 1. Kevin L. Carter of ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pen ...

'' commented that the album "is full of upbeat, multi-hued

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

tunes based heavily in acid jazz, '70s fusion,

and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

and world music". With it, the band would continue to build upon their acid-jazz sounds in the following years. The album's ecologically charged concept gave Kay press coverage, although Mark Jenkins of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' found the record's sloganeering "as crude as the music is slick".

1994–2000: ''The Return of the Space Cowboy''–''Synkronized''

The band's original drummer, Nick van Gelder, failed to return from holiday and was replaced by Derrick McKenzie, who recorded with the group in one take for his audition. They issued their second album, ''

The Return of the Space Cowboy ''The Return of the Space Cowboy'' is the second album by English funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai. The album was released on 17 October 1994 under Sony Soho Square. The album continues the musical direction of their debut, '' Emergency on ...

'', in 1994, and it ranked at number 2 in the UK chart. During its recording, Kay was in a creative block, worsened by his increasing drug use at the time; which resulted in its complex songwriting. However, the record was said to have "capture dthis first phase of Jamiroquai at their very best", according to Daryl Easlea of

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...

. Josef Woodard from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...

'' wrote that its "syncopated grooves and horn-lined riffs" were "played by humans, not samplers". Released in 1996, '' Travelling Without Moving'' reached number 24 in the ''Billboard'' 200 and number 2 in the UK albums chart. With 8 million copies sold worldwide, it has been listed in the

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

as the best-selling funk album in history since 2001. The album's lead single, " Virtual Insanity", gained popularity for its music video, which was heavily played on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

. Containing symphonic and jungle elements, Kay aimed for a more accessible sound. Ted Kessler of '' NME'' saw ''Travelling Without Moving'' as an improvement from previous albums, while critic

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, oc ...

commented that it did not have "uniform consistenc es in comparison. While the group were preparing their fourth album, '' Synkronized'' (1999), Zender left Jamiroquai due to internal conflicts with Kay. While Zender had not been involved in the album's songwriting, the group chose to scrap his recorded tracks to avoid lawsuits, and

Nick Fyffe Nick Fyffe (born 14 October 1972) is an English bassist, known for being an ex-bassist of English funk group Jamiroquai. He replaced Stuart Zender in 1999 with the release of the album '' Synkronized''. He was in the process of applying to a J ...

was recruited for new sessions. This resulted in what was thought to be both a "tighter, more angry collection of songs" for ''Synkronized'', and a change of musical direction from "creating propulsive collections of looooong tunes, ndspeaking out against injustice". Some of the album's tracks, including " Canned Heat", display a hi-NRG and

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...

style, while slower tempos on others were said to "ease the pressure for ay'smore romantic musings". The album reached number 1 in the UK albums chart and number 28 in the US ''Billboard'' 200. A year prior to ''Synkronized'', " Deeper Underground" was released as a single for the ''

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films produ ...

'' soundtrack and reached number one in the UK singles chart.

2001–2016: ''A Funk Odyssey''–''Rock Dust Light Star''

The group issued their follow-up, '' A Funk Odyssey'', a disco record exploring

influences, in 2001. It introduced guitarist Rob Harris, whose playing in the album "melts seductively into a mix that occasionally incorporates lavish orchestration", according to Jim Abbot of ''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...

''. ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yo ...

'''s Sal Cinquemani claimed: "Like its predecessors, ''Odyssey'' mixes self-samplage with Jamiroquai’s now-signature robo-funk." The album topped the chart in the UK. In the US, under Epic Records, it reached number 44 in the US ''Billboard 200''. It was the last album to feature Smith, who left the band in the following year to spend more time with his family. Their sixth album, ''

Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germany, and patented in 1867. It rapidl ...

'', was released in 2005 and reached number 3 in the UK; Rashod D. Ollison of ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by T ...

'' said the album "boasts a harder digital edge ... With heavier beats, manipulated guitar lines and odd digital textures, ''Dynamite'' is less organic than Jamiroquai's other efforts". Its tracks " Feels Just Like It Should" and "Love Blind" were characterised as " avinga fatter, dirtier sound than usual". In 2006, Kay's contract with Sony ended, which led to the issue of the band's greatest hits collection, '' High Times: Singles 1992–2006''. It charted at number one in the UK after its first week of release. The following year, Jamiroquai performed at the Gig in the Sky, a concert held on a private Boeing 757 in association with Sony Ericsson. The band thus currently hold the Guinness World Record for "fastest concert", performed on the aircraft whilst travelling at 1,017 km/h (632 mph). '' Rock Dust Light Star'' was released in 2010 under

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it ...

, where it charted at number 7 in the UK. Kay considered the album as "a real band record" that "capture the flow of our live performances". Critics have seen this as a return to their organic funk and soul style, as it forgoes "the electro textures that followed the band into the new millennium", according to Luke Winkie of ''

MusicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...

''. It also has a sound Thomas H. Green of ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

'' described as "Californian Seventies

funk rock Funk rock is a fusion genre that mixes elements of funk and rock. James Brown and others declared that Little Richard and his mid-1950s road band, The Upsetters, were the first to put the funk in the rock and roll beat, with a biographer stat ...

2017–present: ''Automaton'' and beyond

Jamiroquai released their 2017 album, ''

Automaton An automaton (; plural: automata or automatons) is a relatively self-operating machine, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions.Automaton – Definition and More ...

'', through Virgin EMI. It was their eighth studio album and the first in seven years, reaching number 4 in the UK. It was produced by Kay and band keyboardist Matt Johnson, and it "carefully balance their signature sound with… EDM, soul and trap sounds", according to Ryan Patrick of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

''. Craig Jenkins of ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

'' writes: "Arrangements that used to spill out over horn, flute, didgeridoo, and string accompaniments now lean closer to French house". By 2018, the group's line-up consisted of Kay, Harris, McKenzie, Johnson, Paul Turner on bass guitar, and percussionist Sola Akingbola. In mid-2021, on the rear side of a vinyl sleeve of a previously unreleased single from the 2000 movie '' Titan A.E.'', "Everybody's Going To The Moon", Kay wrote a message to fans paying tribute to the late

(as Smith had collaborated on the song) and confirming the band were working on a new studio album.

Artistry

Musical style and influences

Jamiroquai's music is generally termed acid jazz, funk,

, soul, house, and R&B. Their sound has been described by J. D. Considine as having an "anything-goes attitude, an approach that leaves the band open to anything". Tom Moon wrote that the band "embrac sold-school funk, Philly-soul strings, the crisp keyboard sounds of the '70s and even hints of

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and ke ...

", blending these with "agitated, aggressive

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

rhythms to create an easygoing feel that looks both backward and forward".

Ben Sisario Ben Sisario is an American academic, author, and journalist. Career He is a staff reporter for ''The New York Times'', covering music and culture. Sisario is also the author of ''Doolittle'' (2006) a non-fiction book in the 33⅓ series about th ...

facetiously commented that Jay Kay and Toby Smith as songwriters, "studied '' Innervisions''-era tevieWonder carefully, and just about everything the group has recorded sounds like it could in fact have been played by onderhimself." Kay is the primary songwriter of Jamiroquai. When composing, he sings melodies and beats for band members to transcribe to their instrumentation. The band relies on analog sounds, such as running keyboards through vintage effects pedals "to get the warmth and the clarity of those instruments". Parry Gettelman of the ''

'' described Kay's vocals as "not identifiably male or female, black or white". Other writers said Toby Smith's keyboard arrangements were "psychedelic and soulful", and compared Stuart Zender's bass playing to the work of

Marcus Miller William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work as a bassist. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandros ...

. Wallis Buchanan on didgeridoo was met with either praise or annoyance from critics. Kay was influenced by

Roy Ayers Roy Ayers (born September 10, 1940) is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player, and music producer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at ...

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he hel ...

, Lou Donaldson, Grant Green, Sly Stone,

Gil Scott-Heron Gilbert Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) was an American jazz poet, singer, musician, and author, known primarily for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician Brian Ja ...

, and hip-hop and its culture. He was introduced to much of these influences in the mid-1980s by British club DJs. "I'd been into Stevie and all that… Then I got into the JBs, Maceo Parker and the

Meters The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its pr ...

, that more raw, funky thing. I'd never really heard so many instruments in one go … I decided around that time to try to make music built around those loose, open grooves." A 2003 compilation titled '' Late Night Tales: Jamiroquai'' under

Azuli Records Azuli Records was a British independent record label, focusing mainly on house music and other forms of electronic dance music. The label was founded by DJ Dave Piccioni in London, England in 1991 but went into liquidation in April 2009. Some ...

, also contains a selection of some of the band's late 1970s R&B, disco and

quiet storm Quiet storm is a radio format and genre of R&B, performed in a smooth, romantic, jazz-influenced style. It was named after the title song on Smokey Robinson's 1975 album ''A Quiet Storm''. The radio format was pioneered in 1976 by Melvin Lin ...

influences. Kay and the group have been compared to Stevie Wonder, with some critics accusing the band of copying black artists. In response, Kay said "we never tried to hide our influences". The band references them as Kay maintained Jamiroquai's own sound: "it's about the style of music you aim for, not the exact sound. If you just sample Barry White or Sly Stone, that's one thing; to get their spirit is different."

Lyrics

Jamiroquai's lyrics have touched on socially charged themes. With ''Emergency on Planet Earth'' (1993), it revolves around environmental awareness and speaks out against war. ''The Return of the Space Cowboy'' (1994) contains themes of homelessness, Native American rights, youth protests, and slavery. "Virtual Insanity" from ''Travelling Without Moving'' (1996) is about the prevalence of technology and the replication and simulation of life. The lyrics of ''Automaton'' (2017) allude to dystopian films and compromised relationships within a digital landscape. However, critics wrote that the band had focused more on "boy–girl seductions" and "having fun" rather than social justice, and that Kay's interest in sports cars contradicts his earlier beliefs. Kay was reluctant to release ''Travelling Without Moving'' (1996), as it adopted a motorcar concept, but he added: "just because I love to drive a fast car, that doesn't mean I believe in estroying the environment. He also stated in separate interviews he was tired of being " troubadour of social conscious ess, and "after a while you realise that people won't boogie and dance to olitics"

Stage and visuals

Jamiroquai Automaton Performance 2017 (cropped)

While critics said the group tended towards 1970s funk and soul archetypes in their performances, Kay's presence received praise, with critics noting his strong vocals and energetic dance moves on stage.

Robert Hilburn Robert Hilburn (born September 25, 1939) is an American pop music critic, author, and radio host. As critic and music editor at the '' Los Angeles Times'' from 1970 to 2005, his reviews, essays and profiles appeared in publications around the wo ...

said Kay "establish sa rapport with the audience" and has a "disarming sense of humor". Helen Brown of ''The Telegraph'' was more critical, writing of a 2011 concert that there was no "deeply personal emotion" in its set list or in Kay's vocals, and "much of the material is exhilarating in the moment, forgettable thereafter". With their visual style being described as "sci-fi and futuristic", Jamiroquai's music video of "Virtual Insanity" made them "icons of the music-video format", according to Spencer Kornhaber from ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

''. It was directed by

Jonathan Glazer Jonathan Glazer (born 26 March 1965) is an English film director and screenwriter. Born in London, Glazer began his career in theatre before transitioning into film. Over the course of a career spanning nearly three decades, Glazer's directing ...

, and depicted Kay "perform ngin a room where the floors, walls and furniture all moved simultaneously." Kay has worn elaborate headgear, some he designed himself. He said that the headgear is part of his stage persona and give him a spiritual power described by the Iroquois as " orenda". The illuminating helmet that appears in the music video for "

" was designed by Moritz Waldemeyer for Kay to control its lights and movements and to portray him as an endangered species. Kay also wore Native American head-dresses, which was met with criticism by '' Indian Country Today'', commenting he had worn sacred regalia of the First Nations.

Legacy

As a prominent component of the London-based funk and acid-jazz movement of the 1990s, writer Kenneth Prouty said: "few acid jazz groups have reached the level of visibility in the pop music mainstream as London-born Jamiroquai". The success of the 1996 single "Virtual Insanity" led to the climax of "1970s soul and funk that early acid jazz artists had initiated". The band were also credited for popularising the didgeridoo. Artists who mention the group as an influence include

Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Bennett released his debut mixtape ''10 Day'' in 2012. He ...

SZA Solána Imani Rowe (born November 8, 1989), known professionally as SZA ( ), is an American singer and songwriter. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, she began making music in the early 2010s, releasing two extended plays before signing with the h ...

, Kamaal Williams, the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...

Calvin Harris Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter who has released six studio albums. His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'', was released in June ...

, and Tyler, the Creator. According to Tony Farsides of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'', "Jamiroquai's musical prowess goes largely ignored. Whilst the band have received plaudits from American heavyweights such as

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

and

Maurice White Maurice White (December 19, 1941 – February 4, 2016) was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter, and producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, and served as the ...

of Earth, Wind And Fire, Jamiroquai fight to be taken seriously in the UK." Writing for the same newspaper, Ian Gittins said the group "have long been shunned by music's tastemakers for a perceived naffness, and have shown their utter disregard for this critical snobbery by getting bigger and bigger". Sisario gave a negative review of the band's discography in ''

The Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'' in 2004, finding much of their material to be identical. Jamiroquai were the third best-selling UK act of the 1990s, after the

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and ...

and

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

. As of April 2017, they have sold more than 26 million albums worldwide. Despite finding popularity in the UK with high-charting albums, the band could not maintain their relevance in the United States. ''Travelling Without Moving'' was their most successful release in the country, but they have since lost commercial momentum. The band's studio albums became less frequently released. Kay said in 2013: "I will only put out an album now when I am inspired to do so".

Awards and nominations

During the course of their career, Jamiroquai have received 15 Brit Award nominations. In 1999, the band won an Ivor Novello Award for an Outstanding Song Collection. Front-man Kay was given a BMI Presidents Award "in recognition of his profound influence on songwriting within the music industry." Jamiroquai received a nomination for

Best Pop Album The Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality vocal pop music albums. Awards in several ...

at the

1998 Grammy Awards The 40th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1998, at Radio City Music Hall, New York City. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Rock icon Bob Dylan, Alison Krauss & Union Station, and R. Kelly were the ...

and won Best Performance by a Duo Or Group for "Virtual Insanity". The band were also nominated for Best Short Form Music Video for "Feels Just Like It Should" at the

2005 Grammy Awards The 47th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2005, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2003, through September 30, 2004. They were hosted by Queen Lati ...

. For their "Virtual Insanity" music video, Jamiroquai had three nominations at the 1997

MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

and won

Breakthrough Video Breakthrough or break through may refer to: Arts Books * ''Break Through'' (book), a 2007 book about environmentalism by Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger * ''Break Through'' (play), a 2011 episodic play portraying scenes from LGBT life * ...

and Video of the Year.

Discography

* '' Emergency on Planet Earth'' (1993) * ''

'' (1994) * '' Travelling Without Moving'' (1996) * '' Synkronized'' (1999) * '' A Funk Odyssey'' (2001) * ''

'' (2005) * '' Rock Dust Light Star'' (2010) * ''

'' (2017)

Members

;Current members * Jay Kay – lead vocals (1992–present) * Derrick McKenzie – drums (1994–present) * Sola Akingbola – percussion (1994–present) * Rob Harris – guitar (2000–present) * Matt Johnson – keyboards (2002–present) * Paul Turner – bass (2005–present) * Howard Whiddett – Ableton Live (2017–present) * Nate Williams – guitar and keyboards (2017–present) ;Former members *

– keyboards (1992–2002; died 2017) * Simon Bartholomew – guitar (1992) * Glenn Nightengale – guitar (1993) * Gavin Dodds – guitar (1992–1994) *

Simon Katz Simon Katz (born 16 May 1971) is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work with the band Jamiroquai from 1995 to 2000. Katz was a recipient of the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo Or Group With Vocal ...

– guitar (1995–2000) *

– bass (1992–1998) *

– bass (1999–2003) * Nick Van Gelder – drums (1992–1993) * Maurizio Ravalico – percussion (1992–1994) * Kofi Karikari – percussion (1993) * DJ D-Zire – turntables (1992–2001) * Wallis Buchanan – didgeridoo (1992–1999) * Gary Barnacle – saxophone, flute (1992–1997) * John Thirkell – trumpet, flugelhorn (1993–1998) * Mike Smith – saxophone (1993–1994, 1999–2000)

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* * * {{featured article Acid jazz ensembles British contemporary R&B musical groups British soul musical groups English funk musical groups English pop music groups Jazz fusion ensembles Musical groups from London Ivor Novello Award winners Grammy Award winners Musical groups established in 1992 Acid Jazz Records artists S2 Records artists Epic Records artists Mercury Records artists Virgin EMI Records artists