Roisin Murphy

Róisín Murphy
Murphy performing in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Róisín Marie Murphy
Born	(1973-07-05) 5 July 1973 (age 43) Arklow, Wicklow, Ireland
Genres	Electropop dance-pop art pop experimental pop
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, record producer, director
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Echo, EMI, PIAS
Associated acts	Moloko

Róisín Marie Murphy (/roʊˈʃiːn/; Irish pronunciation: [ɾˠoːˈʃiːnʲ]; born 5 July 1973) is an Irish singer-songwriter and record producer. She first became known in the 1990s as one-half of the UK trip hop duo Moloko with her partner Mark Brydon. After the breakup of Moloko, Murphy embarked on a solo career, releasing 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 nonetheless included several singles, vocal features, and side projects), her third album Hairless Toys was released in 2015; it was subsequently 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 (2016). Throughout her career, she has received critical praise for her idiosyncratic music, fashion, and performance sensibilities.

Murphy was brought up in Arklow, County Wicklow, Ireland. When she was twelve, her family moved to Manchester, England, UK. Murphy embraced 1960s fashions from going with her mother, an antique dealer, to car boot sales and charity shops. She concealed her singing voice, not wanting other people to know she "sounded like Elaine Paige" when she herself enjoyed listening to the likes of Sonic Youth and Pixies instead.