Alasdair David George Murray (born 6 September 1986), professionally known as Illy, is an Australian rapper from

Frankston, Victoria Frankston ( ) is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Located south-east of the Melbourne central business district via the Monash Freeway and EastLink, it is in the Local government areas of Victoria, local government area of the City ...

. Illy first emerged onto the hip hop scene in 2009. He has released five studio albums and has won multiple

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

. Illy has performed at many Australian music festivals including headline spots at

Groovin' the Moo Groovin the Moo is an annual music festival that was held primarily in regional centres across Australia. The festival was held during autumn, typically in May of each year. Groovin the Moo was established by Cattleyard Promotions and their f ...

Splendour in the Grass Splendour in the Grass (commonly referred to as Splendour) is an annual Australian music festival held at the North Byron Parklands in Yelgun, New South Wales. Since its inauguration, the festival has also been held in various locations near ...

, Spilt Milk and Yours and Owls.

Early life

Alasdair David George Murray was born on 6 September 1986 in Frankston,

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Australia.

Career

2009–2011: ''Long Story Short'' and ''The Chase''

Before his solo career, Illy was a member of Crooked Eye, but opted to leave the group. Illy UniTas 2011

Illy released his first album, ''Long Story Short'' in 2009. ''Long Story Short'' reached No. 24 on the ARIA Top 40 Urban Albums chart and the lead single, "Pictures", was placed on national rotation on

Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

. In April 2010, Illy embarked on his first national headlining tour, playing 12 dates nationally. In September the same year, Illy toured nationally alongside Australian rappers

360 360 may refer to: * 360 (number) * 360 AD, a year * 360 BC, a year * 360 degrees, a turn Businesses and organizations * 360 Architecture, an American architectural design firm * Ngong Ping 360, a tourism project in Lantau Island, Hong Kong ...

and Skryptcha for "The Three Up Tour". Illy featured on the track "Take It from Me" on producer

M-Phazes Mark Landon (born 1 February 1983), better known by his stage name M-Phazes, is an Australian-born producer based in LA. He has produced records for Logic, Demi Lovato, Madonna, Eminem, Kehlani, Zara Larsson, Remi Wolf, Kiiara, Noah Cyrus, an ...

' 2010 debut album ''

Good Gracious ''Good Gracious'' is the first album by Australian hip hop producer M-Phazes. Released in February 2010 on Obese Records, each track features different artists, including Drapht, Bliss n Eso, Illy and Forthwrite (360 (rapper), 360 and Pez (musici ...

''. In 2010, Illy released the singles "The Chase" and "Cigarettes" and in October 2010, released his second studio album '' The Chase''. ''The Chase'' peaked at number 25 on the ARIA Charts. The album's third single, "It Can Wait" became Illy's first charting single on the Australian Singles Chart, peaking at number fifty-eight. In February 2011, Illy embarked on his 14-date nationwide "The Chase Tour", with special guest M-Phazes. In October 2011, "It Can Wait" was certified Gold by ARIA after selling 35,000 copies. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2011 The 25th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) were a series of award ceremonies which included the 2011 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fin ...

''The Chase'' was nominated for the

ARIA Award for Best Urban Album The ARIA Music Award for Best Urban Album, was an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It was handed out by the Australian Recording In ...

2012–2015: ''Bring It Back'' and ''Cinematic''

In May 2012, Illy released "

Heard It All "Heard It All" is a song by Australian rapper Illy and was released in May 2012 as the lead single from Illy's third studio album, '' Bring It Back''. "Heard It All" peaked at number 48 on the ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Austr ...

", the lead single from his third studio album. In September 2012, Illy released his third album, '' Bring It Back'', which peaked at number 15 on the ARIA Charts. Illy described the album as a "passion project" and a "tribute" to the Australian hip hop scene. A 24-date nationwide tour supported the release, with Australian hip-hop producer Chasm and Skryptcha as support acts. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2013 The 27th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) were a series of award ceremonies which included the 2013 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fin ...

, ''Bring It Back'' won Illy his first

ARIA Music Award The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austra ...

, winning

. In September 2013, Illy left Obese Records to set up his own label, ONETWO records, and signed South Australian hip hop artist

Allday Tomas Henry Gaynor (born 21 February 1991), known professionally as Allday, is an Australian rapper, singer and songwriter from Adelaide. Gaynor became active in 2011, when he began uploading his music for free online. Following his works becom ...

. In November 2013, Illy released his fourth studio album, '' Cinematic''. The album debuted at number 4 on the ARIA Charts. In March 2014, the album's fourth single "

Tightrope Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...

" became Illy's first top 20 single, peaking at number 18.

2016–2021: ''Two Degrees'' and ''The Space Between''

In July 2016, Illy released " Papercuts", featuring

Vera Blue Celia Pavey, known professionally as Vera Blue, is an Australian singer-songwriter signed with Island Records Australia, which is part of Universal Music Australia. Her folk-inspired album '' This Music'' peaked at number 14 on the Australian ...

, which peaked at number 2 on the ARIA charts. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2016 The 30th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) are a series of award ceremonies which include the 2016 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fine ...

, the song was nominated for four awards. In October 2016, Illy released " Catch 22" featuring

Anne-Marie Anne-Marie Rose Nicholson (born 7 April 1991) is an English singer and songwriter. She has attained various charting singles on the UK Singles Chart, including Clean Bandit's " Rockabye", which peaked at number one, as well as "Alarm", " Ciao ...

, which peaked at number 11 on the ARIA charts. In November 2016, Illy released his fifth studio album, ''

Two Degrees ''Two Degrees'' is the fifth studio album by Illy. The album was released on 11 November 2016 and debuted at number 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart. It extended the record for most number-one albums in a calendar year by Australian artists in be ...

'' which debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA charts. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2017 The 31st Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) are a series of award ceremonies which include the 2017 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fine ...

, the album was nominated for three awards. "You Say When" and "Oh My" were released as singles in 2017. Illy toured the album and won

ARIA Award for Best Australian Live Act The ARIA Music Award for Best Australian Live Act, is a popular-voted award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises live performers. It replaces the previous category, ARIA Music Award for Most Popular Australian Live Artist ...

at the ARIA Music Awards of 2017. On 24 May 2019, Illy released " Then What"; his first new release in two years. Singles "Codes" and "Lean on Me" followed in 2019. On 13 February 2020, Illy released "Last Laugh" On 22 May 2020, Australian radio station Triple J premiered a new song by Illy titled "Parmas In June", created as part of a

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

self-isolation musical challenge nicknamed Quarantune. ''

The Space Between "The Space Between" is a song written by American rock band Dave Matthews Band from their fourth studio album, '' Everyday'' (2001). Released as a single in April 2001, it gave the band their first top-40 hit in their home country, peaking at nu ...

'' was released in 2021.

2022–present: Return to Warner and ''Good Life''

In October 2022, Illy re-signed with Warner Music and released "Like You". This was followed in October 2023 by "Hopeless".

Discography

* '' Long Story Short'' (2009) * '' The Chase'' (2010) * '' Bring It Back'' (2012) * '' Cinematic'' (2013) * ''

'' (2016) * ''

'' (2021) * '' Good Life'' (2024)

Awards

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as

AIR Awards The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. History The inaugural 2006 awards were held at Blacket Hot ...

) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's independent music sector. , - , rowspan="2" ,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, "It Can Wait" , Best Independent Single/EP , , - , ''The Chase'' , Best Independent Hip Hop/Urban Album , , - ,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, ''Bring it Back'' , Best Independent Hip Hop/Urban Album , , -

APRA Awards

The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2017 (generally known as APRA Awards) are an annual awards ceremony to award outstanding achievements in contemporary songwriting, composing and publishing. Illy has won three awards from eight nominations. , - , rowspan="2",

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, , "On and On" , , Urban Work of the Year , , , - , "Youngbloods" , , Urban Work of the Year , , , - ,

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, , "

" (featuring Scarlett Stevens) , , Urban Work of the Year , , , - ,

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, , " Papercuts" (featuring

) , , Urban Work of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2",

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, , " Catch 22" (featuring

) , , Urban Work of the Year , , , - , "Oh My" (featuring

Jenna McDougall Tonight Alive are an Australian rock band from Sydney. For the majority of the band's career, the line-up consisted of lead vocalist Jenna McDougall, guitarists Jake Hardy and Whakaio Taahi, bassist Cameron Adler, and drummer Matty Best. Formed ...

) , , Urban Work of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2",

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, , "

Exit Sign An exit sign is a pictogram or short text in a public facility (such as a building, aircraft, or boat) marking the location of the closest emergency exit to be used in an emergency that necessitates rapid evacuation. Most fire, building, hea ...

" (

Hilltop Hoods Hilltop Hoods are an Australian hip hop group that formed in 1994 in Blackwood, Adelaide, South Australia. They are regarded as pioneers of the " larrikin-like" style of Australian hip hop. The group was founded by Suffa (Matthew David Lambert) ...

featuring Illy and Ecca Vandal) , , Most Performed Urban Work of the Year , , , - , "Then What" , , Most Performed Urban Work of the Year , , , -

ARIA Awards

The

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987. Illy has won two trophies from nineteen nominations. ! , - ,

, , ''The Chase'' , , Best Urban Album , , , , rowspan="19", , - ,

, , ''Bring it Back'' , , Best Urban Album , , , - ,

, , ''Cinematic'' , , Best Urban Album , , , - , rowspan="6",

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, , rowspan="6", "Papercuts" , , Best Male Artist , , , - , Best Pop Release , , , - , Song of the Year , , , - , Best Video , , , - , Engineer of the Year , , , - , Producer of the Year , , , - , rowspan="6",

, , rowspan="3", ''Two Degrees'' , , Album of the Year , , , - , Best Male Artist , , , - , Best Urban Album , , , - , "Catch 22" (featuring Anne-Marie) (directed by Mark Alston) , , Best Video , , , - , "Catch 22" (featuring Anne-Marie) , , Song of the Year , , , - , The Two Degrees Tour , , Best Australian Live Act , , , - , rowspan="2",

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, , ''Then What'' , , Best Hip Hop Release , , , - , "Exit Sign"(with Hilltop Hoods and Ecca Vandal) , , Best Video , , , - , rowspan="2",

, , "Last Laugh" , , Hip Hop Release , , , - , "Exit Sign"(with Hilltop Hoods and Ecca Vandal) , , Song of the Year, , , - ,

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, ,

for ''The Space Between'' , ,

Producer of the Year The Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical is an honor presented to record producers for quality non-classical music at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in ...

, , , , , -

J Awards

The

J Awards The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J, and which also extend to sister stations, Triple J Unearthed and Double J. The awar ...

are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

's youth-focused radio station

. They commenced in 2005. , - ,

, "One for the City" , Australian Video of the Year ,

MTV Europe Music Awards

The

MTV Europe Music Awards The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an al ...

is an award presented by

Viacom International Media Networks Paramount International Networks (PIN) is the international division of the Paramount Media Networks subsidiary of Paramount Global that oversees the production, broadcasting and promotion of its brands outside of the United States. These brand ...

to honour artists and music in

pop culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art pop_art.html" ;"title="f. pop art">f. pop artor mass art, some ...

. , - ,

, himself , Best Australian Act , , -

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Illy 1986 births APRA Award winners ARIA Award winners Australian male rappers Living people Sony Music Australia artists Rappers from Melbourne People from Frankston, Victoria