Kieran John Callinan (born 21 January 1986), known by his stage name Kirin J. Callinan, is an Australian singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is also a founding member of

Mercy Arms Mercy Arms were an Australian indie rock band formed in early 2005. The four-piece were made up of Thom Moore (lead vocals, guitar), Kirin J. Callinan (guitar), Ash Moss (bass guitar) and Julian Sudek (drums, percussion). Their debut self-title ...

and has played with

the Night Game The Night Game is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 2016. Founded by American musician Martin Johnson, the group is composed of Johnson and multi-instrumentalist Kirin J. Callinan. They released their debut single, "T ...

, Jack Ladder and the Dreamlanders,

Mark Ronson Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is a British-American DJ, songwriter, record producer, and record executive. He is best known for his collaborations with artists such as Duran Duran, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Lady Gaga, Lily Allen, Robbi ...

and

Genesis Owusu Kofi Owusu-Ansah (born 1998 Ghana), known by his stage name Genesis Owusu, is a Ghanaian-Australian singer from Canberra. He is the younger brother of fellow hip hop rapper, Kojo Owusu-Ansah Citizen Kay. Owusu's debut studio album, ''Smili ...

. Referred to as the '' enfant terrible'' of Australia's underground rock music scene, Callinan is known for his flamboyant public persona, confrontational live shows, and diverse musical output in which, according to ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'', "the distinctions between talent, irony, and genuine bad taste bleed together until they’re indistinguishable." Callinan said that his primary motivation as a musician is to "excite and confuse, ... But you can't do that for any length of time without having sincerity." Callinan has collaborated with a wide range of musicians, including

, Jimmy Barnes, James Chance, Alex Cameron,

Connan Mockasin Connan Tant Hosford, better known by the stage name Connan Mockasin and sometimes credited as Connan Hosford, is a New Zealand musician, composer and record producer. Critically acclaimed and described as "a psych-funk oddball...a contrarian", ...

, Caroline Polachek,

Weyes Blood Natalie Laura Mering (born June 11, 1988), known professionally as Weyes Blood (pronounced ), is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She was primarily raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. She has been performing her own material under ...

Pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from th ...

Mac Demarco MacBriare Samuel Lanyon DeMarco (born Vernor Winfield MacBriare Smith IV; April 30, 1990) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. DeMarco has released six full-length studio albums, his debut ''Rock and Roll Night C ...

Hubert Lenoir Hubert Lenoir (born August 14, 1994) is the stage name of Hubert Chiasson, a French Canadian, singer, musician and actor from Quebec City, Quebec.Julian Casablancas Julian Fernando Casablancas (born August 23, 1978) is an American singer, musician and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of Rock music, rock band The Strokes, with whom he has released six studio albums since the ...

, whistler

Molly Lewis Molly Lewis (aka Sweetafton23) is an American musician who is known for her ukulele playing and who rose to prominence on the Internet. She plays both covers and original songs. Her original music consists of comedic songs that deal with relevan ...

and brothers

Neil Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. A ...

and

Tim Finn Brian Timothy Finn (born 25 June 1952) is a New Zealand singer and musician. His musical career includes forming 1970s and 1980s New Zealand rock group Split Enz, a number of solo albums, temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowde ...

. Barnes, Cameron and Lewis feature in Callinan's 2017 single " Big Enough"; Barnes' distinctive screaming cameo became an

internet meme An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...

Early life

Kieran John Callinan was born and raised in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. Note: For additional work user may have to select 'Search again' and then 'Enter a title:' &/or 'Performer:' His father is Brendan Callinan, former keyboardist with Australian pub rock band The Radiators.

Music career

2005–2007: Early years and Mercy Arms

In 2005, he formed indie rock band

with fellow guitarist and vocalist Thom Moore, bassist Ash Moss, and drummer Julian Sudek. Callinan and Sudek had lived in the same area: "We played soccer against each other and with each other as kids, so we go back to when we were fourteen years old or so." Mercy Arms broke up in 2009, on stage at the

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

Big Day Out. Kirin was also an early member of Sydney post punk band The Valentinos, their first ep produced by later Kirin J collaborator and Embracism producer

Kim Moyes Kimberley Isaac Moyes is an Australian musician, producer, mix engineer, composer, songwriter, DJ and one half of the Sydney-based electronica duo, The Presets (with Julian Hamilton). Note: n-lineversion established at White Room Electronic Pub ...

of The Presets.

2008–present: Solo career

In 2008, Callinan self-released his debut solo album, ''Am I a Woman, Yet?''. His second album, ''Embracism'', was released by American record label

Terrible Records Terrible (formerly Terrible Records) is a Los Angeles-based record label and artist management company founded by Chris Taylor and Ethan Silverman in 2009. Originally based in Brooklyn, New York, the label operated as a joint venture imprint ...

and London based

XL Recordings XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been ran and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group. Although only releasing an average of six album ...

in 2013. In 2017, Callinan released ''Bravado''. It reached No. 5 on the ARIA Hitseekers Albums Chart. His track, "S.A.D.", was provided with a music video directed by Danny Cohen, which was nominated for Best Video at the ARIA Music Awards of 2017. In February 2018, Callinan received a 12-month good-behaviour bond after being charged with willful and obscene exposure in a public place. He lifted his kilt on the red carpet at the ARIA Music Awards of 2017, briefly exposing his genitals to press photographers. Following the incident, Callinan was dropped from the 2018 lineup of Laneway Music Festival. In 2019, Callinan released ''Return to Center''. Writing for the

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...

, music journalist Michael Dwyer declared "Kirin J Callinan has just purloined the concept album of the century". Callinan has contributed & collaborated both live and on record with a number of other artists. Since 2009 he has been an original touring member of

Jack Ladder Timothy Kenneth Rogers (born 6 April 1983), known by his stage name Jack Ladder, is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist and composer. His music is characterised by his baritone voice and poignant observations on love and deat ...

& The Dreamlanders, contributing guitars on the 2009 live ep "Counterfeits" as well as full length albums "Hurtsville" (2011), "Playmates" (2014), "Blue Poles" (2018) and 2021’s "Hijack!". He also played guitars on

’s

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 pres ...

winning album "

Uptown Special ''Uptown Special'' is the fourth studio album by English record producer Mark Ronson. The album was released on 13 January 2015 in the US and 19 January 2015 in the UK. It is his first album in nearly five years, following ''Record Collection'' ...

", performing songs from the album including lead singles " Uptown Funk" and " Leaving Los Feliz" live alongside Ronson and Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker. 2019 saw Callinan co-writing & producing songs in a production duo alongside

, producing Julian Casablancas & The Voidz singles "Did My Best" and "The Eternal Tao 2.0" and working on

Hubert Lenoir Hubert Lenoir (born August 14, 1994) is the stage name of Hubert Chiasson, a French Canadian, singer, musician and actor from Quebec City, Quebec.Genesis Owusu Kofi Owusu-Ansah (born 1998 Ghana), known by his stage name Genesis Owusu, is a Ghanaian-Australian singer from Canberra. He is the younger brother of fellow hip hop rapper, Kojo Owusu-Ansah Citizen Kay. Owusu's debut studio album, ''Smili ...

, co-writing 2021’s "

Smiling With No Teeth ''Smiling with No Teeth'' is the debut studio album by Australian musician Genesis Owusu, released on 5 March 2021 through Ourness. The album features a guest appearance from Kirin J. Callinan and production from Callinan, Andrew Klippel, Dave H ...

" album, contributing vocals and guitar.

would go on to win Album of the Year, Best Hip Hop Release, and Best Independent Release at the 2021 ARIA Awards as well as the

J Award The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J and which are judged by the music and on-air teams from radio stations Triple J, ...

for Australian Album of the Year and, in March 2022, the Australian Music Prize. In 2021, Callinan launched his own record label - Worse Records - a subsidiary of US label Terrible Records, releasing French Canadian artist

Hubert Lenoir Hubert Lenoir (born August 14, 1994) is the stage name of Hubert Chiasson, a French Canadian, singer, musician and actor from Quebec City, Quebec.Polaris Prize shortlisted sophomore album PICTURA DE IPSE : Musique Direct as well as one off single "New Music Friday", by his own manufactured conceptual boy band "Seconds Flat" and

& The Dreamlanders lead single "Astronaut" from the album "Hijack!". On Valentine’s Day, 14 February 2022, Kirin released the first single "…in ABSOLUTES" and its accompanying music video co-directed with Kiwi director Oscar Keys, apparently shot in Kirin’s New Zealand residence.

Acting

In 2017, Callinan was cast by

Jane Campion Dame Elizabeth Jane Campion (born 30 April 1954) is a New Zealand filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed films ''The Piano'' (1993) and '' The Power of the Dog'' (2021), for which she has received a tot ...

in the second season of '' Top of the Lake''. "Kirin was a joy to work with because he was imaginative, playful and exploring," said Campion. "He seems somehow to push the limits of human being in the biggest sense, like he might have been raised by unicorns."Carew, Anthony (1 June 2017)
"Kirin J. Callinan wants to lead a glamorous life"
''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

''. Retrieved 15 January 2018.

Discography

Albums

Backing band

Current *

- Theremin (2021 – present) Former * Tex Crick – Synthesizer, Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals (2013–2020) * Mahne Frame - Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals (2016-2020) *

John Carroll Kirby John Carroll Kirby is an American pianist, record producer and composer based in Los Angeles, California, United States. As a musician, Kirby has collaborated with artists including Solange, Frank Ocean, Miley Cyrus, Norah Jones, Bat for Lashes, ...

- Keyboards (2018) * David Jenkins Jnr. - Drums, Percussion (2013-2016) * Daniel Stricker - Drums (2007-2012) * Hannes Kaschell - Drums (2015) * Tim Koh - Bass Guitar (2015) * Jaie Gonzales - Bass Guitar (2013-2014) * Molly Lewis - Musical Whistling (2017)

Awards

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. , - ,

AIR Awards of 2013 The AIR Awards of 2013 (or Carlton Dry Independent Music Awards of 2013) is the eighth annual Australian Independent Record Labels Association Music Awards (generally known as the AIR Awards) and was an award ceremony at Revolt Art Space, in Mel ...

, themselves , Breakthrough Independent Artist ,

ARIA Music Awards

The

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 ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...

. ! , - ,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, "S.A.D." (directed by Danny Cohen) , Best Video , , ARIA Award previous winners.

Australian Music Prize

The Australian Music Prize (the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The commenced in 2005. , - , 2013 , ''Embracism'' , Australian Music Prize , , -

J Award

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

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

's youth-focused radio station

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

. They commenced in 2005. , - , J Awards of 2012 , "Way II War" , Australian Video of the Year , , - ,

J Awards of 2017 The J Award of 2017 is the thirteenth annual J Awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. The announcement comes at the culmination of Ausmusic Month (November). For the fourth year, four ...

, "Big Enough" , Australian Video of the Year , , -

National Live Music Awards

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016. , - , National Live Music Awards of 2016 , Kirin J. Callinan , Live Guitarist of the Year ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Callinan, Kirin J 21st-century Australian singers Alternative rock singers Australian indie rock musicians Australian multi-instrumentalists Australian rock guitarists Australian rock singers Australian singer-songwriters Living people 1986 births Musicians from Sydney 21st-century guitarists 21st-century Australian male singers Australian male guitarists Australian male singer-songwriters