Who Are the Members of Gorillaz? Damon Albarn of Blur Leads the Band

Gorillaz, the animated band formed by Damon Albarn and illustrator Jamie Hewlett, will make their Saturday Night Live debut on March 7 during Ryan Gosling’s episode. The project began in the late 1990s as a side project for Albarn, the lead singer of Blur, and grew from an EP and a 2001 debut album into a long-running creative endeavour with nine albums and a strong visual identity.

The virtual quartet comprises 2‑D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle, and Russel Hobbs. Albarn provides the singing voice for 2‑D; Phil Cornwell principally voices Murdoc; Noodle’s singing and speaking voices have been supplied by several actresses and singers; and Remi Kabaka voices Russel and became Gorillaz’s drummer and co-producer in 2017.

Early shows hid the human players behind a video screen, by 2005 the band was using 3‑D renderings or puppets, and more recently Albarn has shared stages with many guest collaborators while the animated characters remain central.

gorillaz, damon albarn, jamie hewlett, ryan gosling, blur, 2-d, murdoc niccals, noodle, russel hobbs, remi kabaka