Nicholas James Murphy (born 23 June 1988), known professionally as Chet Faker, is an Australian singer and songwriter. In 2012, as Chet Faker, he issued an extended play, '' Thinking in Textures'', and signed to

Downtown Records Downtown Records is an American record label based in New York City with offices in Los Angeles. Owned and operated by Josh Deutsch and Terence Lam, the label is distributed by Geffen Records (formerly Interscope Records and The Orchard) in the ...

in the United States. In October 2012, he won Breakthrough Artist of the Year and ''Thinking in Textures'' won Best Independent Single/EP at the Australian Independent Records Awards. In January 2013, the work won Best Independent Release at the ''Rolling Stone'' Australia Awards for 2012. Murphy's cover of

Blackstreet Blackstreet (often stylized as BLACKstreet) is an American R&B group founded in 1991 by record producers Chauncey "Black" Hannibal, and Teddy "Street" Riley. The group has released four albums with Interscope Records until 2003. They achieved ...

's "

No Diggity "No Diggity" is a song by American R&B group Blackstreet as the first single for their second studio album, '' Another Level'' (1996), featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen. Released on July 29, 1996, the song reached number one on the US ''Billboard ...

" was featured in a 2013 Super Bowl commercial for Beck's Sapphire. In April 2014, ''

Built on Glass ''Built on Glass'' is the debut studio album by Australian electronic musician Chet Faker. It was released on 11 April 2014 on the Future Classic label to generally favourable reviews. At the J Awards of 2014, the album won Australian Album of t ...

'', his debut studio album, was released to generally positive reviews and debuted at number one on the Australian

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offic ...

. Three tracks from the album were voted into the top ten of

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

's Hottest 100 of 2014, including the number one spot for " Talk Is Cheap". In September 2016, Murphy dropped the Chet Faker name to start performing and releasing material under his birth name, beginning with the release of a pair of singles later that year, and the '' Missing Link'' extended play in 2017. Murphy's second studio album – the first under his birth name – ''Run Fast Sleep Naked'' was released in April 2019. This was followed up by a surprise

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to inst ...

album, ''Music for Silence'', in March 2020, initially released via the Calm meditation app. In October 2020, four years after dropping the moniker, Murphy revived the Chet Faker name for the release of a new single, "Low".

Career

Early career

Murphy played under his stage name after people came to his shows thinking he was a different and already established musician, Nick Murphy. He settled on the name as a homage to Chet Baker: "I listened to a lot of jazz and I was a big fan of ... the way he sang, when he moved into mainstream singing. He had this really fragile vocal style—this really, broken, close-up and intimate style. The name is kind of just an ode to Chet Baker and the mood of music he used to play—something I would like to at least pay homage to in my own music." Other influences he has cited include

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, as well as his mother's Motown albums and his father's "chilled out Ibiza CDs".

''Thinking in Textures'' and collaborations (2011–13)

He first rose to prominence after his cover of

's "

" went viral online, reaching number one on the

Hypemachine Hype Machine is a music blog aggregator created by Anthony Volodkin. History Hype Machine was originally a music database created in 2005 by Anthony Volodkin, then a sophomore computer science major at Hunter College.Heilemann, JohCapturing the ...

chart in May 2011. He released his first extended play, '' Thinking in Textures'', on 22 March 2012 to positive reviews, being described as "wonderfully loungey" and praised for its ability to "mix subtlety with impressive beauty". The EP was also popular with fans, with its second single, "I'm into You", landing at number 24 on

's Hottest 100 of 2012. Murphy has collaborated with

Flume A flume is a human-made channel for water, in the form of an open declined gravity chute whose walls are raised above the surrounding terrain, in contrast to a trench or ditch. Flumes are not to be confused with aqueducts, which are built to t ...

and remixes of songs by

MS MR MS MR (pronounced ''Miz Mister'') are a New York-based American pop duo, consisting of vocalist Lizzy Plapinger and producer Max Hershenow. The duo are signed to Iamsound, Kitsuné and Columbia Records. Plapinger is also known for her work a ...

and

The Temper Trap The Temper Trap are an Australian indie rock band formed in 2005 by Dougy Mandagi, Jonathon Aherne, and Toby Dundas. In 2008, the group relocated from Melbourne to London. The band released their debut album '' Conditions'' in June 2009 to favou ...

. He was a featured vocalist on

Say Lou Lou Say Lou Lou (formerly Saint Lou Lou) are a twin sister musical duo hailing from Australia and Sweden. Anna Miranda and Elektra June Kilbey-Jansson (born 7 June 1991) are the daughters of Steve Kilbey, the lead singer of Australian alternative b ...

's "Fool of Me", which was named Best New Track by ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' in May 2013.

''Lockjaw EP'' and ''Built on Glass'' (2013–15)

Chet Faker, Positivus Music Festival, Latvia 2014

On 12 August 2013, Murphy released a new single, "Melt", featuring American vocalist

Kilo Kish Lakisha Kimberly Robinson (born May 10, 1990), known professionally as Kilo Kish, is an American singer-songwriter and visual artist. Early life Kilo Kish was born in Orlando, Florida, on May 10, 1990. She attended Glen Rock Elementary School in ...

. In November 2013 Flume and Murphy released an EP, titled '' Lockjaw''. Murphy released his debut studio album, ''

'', on 11 April 2014. The album's full release was preceded by its lead single, " Talk Is Cheap", and an accompanying music video on 11 February 2014. The album debuted at number one on the

. Murphy performed at the Boston Calling Music Festival in May 2015. Later that month, "Talk Is Cheap" was named the number-one song in the 2014 Triple J Hottest 100, while two other singles, "

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

" and "

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

", also reached the top ten, placing at number 7 and 8, respectively. In June, Murphy released a new single, " Bend", a previously unreleased track intended for ''Built on Glass''. It was promoted by his Australian ''Built on Live'' tour in October. Murphy released a new EP, ''

Work Work may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community ** Manual labour, physical work done by humans ** House work, housework, or homemaking ** Working animal, an animal t ...

'', a collaboration with London-based DJ Marcus Marr on 4 December 2015.

Nick Murphy (2016–2019)

On 8 September 2016, the artist wrote on his Facebook page, "It's been half a decade since I started releasing music as Chet Faker and all of you have been the driving force behind the music since. There's an evolution happening and I wanted to let you know where it's going. The next record will be under my own name, Nick Murphy. Chet Faker will always be a part of the music. This is next."

Chet Faker revival (2020)

In October 2020, Murphy revived the Chet Faker social media accounts and released "Low", his first single under the Chet Faker moniker since 2016. This marked his first release through BMG Australia & New Zealand, with whom he had recently signed a record deal.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

Notes

As featured artist

Promotional singles

Other charted songs

Other appearances

Production

Remixes

Music videos

As lead artist

As featured artist

Awards and nominations

A2IM Libera Awards

! , - , 2015 , Chet Faker , Breakthrough Artist of the Year , ,

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as

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. History The inaugural 2006 awards were held at ...

) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. ! , - , rowspan="5" ,

AIR Awards of 2012 The AIR Awards of 2012 (or Jägermeister Independent Awards of 2012) is the seventh annual Australian Independent Record Labels Association Music Awards (generally known as the AIR Awards) and was an award ceremony at Revolt Art Space, in Melbou ...

, rowspan="2" , Chet Faker , Best Independent Artist , , rowspan="5" , , - , Breakthrough Independent Artist , , - , rowspan="2" , ''Thinking in Textures'' , Best Independent Single/EP , , - , Best Independent Dance/Electronica Album , , - , "Terms and Conditions" , Best Independent Dance/Electronica Single , , - , rowspan="3" ,

AIR Awards of 2014 The AIR Awards of 2014 (or Carlton Dry Independent Music Awards of 2014) is the ninth annual Australian Independent Record Labels Association Music Awards (generally known as the AIR Awards) and was an award ceremony at The Meat Market, North Me ...

, Chet Faker , Best Independent Artist , , rowspan="3" , , - , rowspan="2" , ''Built on Glass'' , Best Independent Album , , - , Best Independent Dance/Electronica Album , , - ,

AIR Awards of 2015 The AIR Awards of 2015 (or Carlton Dry Independent Music Awards of 2015) is the tenth annual Australian Independent Record Labels Association Music Awards (generally known as the AIR Awards) and was an award ceremony at The Meat Market, North Me ...

, Chet Faker , Best Independent Artist , , , - ,

AIR Awards of 2017 The AIR Awards of 2017 is the eleventh annual Australian Independent Record Labels Association Music Awards (generally known as the AIR Awards) and was an award ceremony at Queen's Theatre Adelaide, Australia on 27 July 2017. This is the first ...

, "Stop Me (Stop You)" , Best Independent Dance/Electronic Club Song or EP , ,

APRA Awards (Australia)

The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). ! , - ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, "Drop the Game" (with Flume) , Song of the Year , , , - , rowspan="5" , 2015 , "1998" (Chet Faker) , rowspan="3" , Song of the Year , , rowspan="3" , , - , "Gold" (Chet Faker) , , - , "Talk Is Cheap" (Chet Faker) , , - , Chet Faker , Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year , , , - , "

Drop the Game "Drop the Game" is a song by the Australian musicians Flume and Chet Faker. It was released on 18 November 2013, by Future Classic from their EP, '' Lockjaw''. The song peaked at number 18 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified Platinum by the ...

" , Dance Work of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2" ,

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 s ...

, rowspan="2" , "The Trouble With Us" , Dance Work of the Year , , , - , Most Played Australian Work , ,

ARIA Awards

Chet Faker received nine nominations at the ARIA Music Awards of 2014, , - , rowspan="9" ,

, , rowspan="7" , ''Built on Glass'' , , Album of the Year , , , - , Best Male Artist , , , - , Breakthrough Artist , , , - , Best Independent Release , , , - , Engineer of the Year , , , - ,

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 i ...

, , , - , Best Cover Art , , , - , "Talk Is Cheap" , , Best Video , , , - , "Drop the Game" , , Best Dance Release , , , - ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, , "The Trouble With Us (with Marcus Marr)" , , Song of the Year , ,

Australian Music Prize

The

Australian Music Prize The Australian Music Prize (often shortened to 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 award was made by Australian Music Pri ...

(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 AMP was established in 2005. , - , 2014 , ''Built on Glass'' , Australian Music Prize , , -

EG Awards / Music Victoria Awards

The EG Awards (known as ''Music Victoria Awards'' since 2013) are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2006. , - , rowspan="4", EG Awards of 2012 , "No Diggity" , Best Song , , - , Chet Faker , Best Male , , - , Chet Faker , Best New Talent , , - , Chet Faker , Outstanding Achievement By a Victorian Artist , , - , rowspan="2",

Music Victoria Awards of 2014 The Music Victoria Awards of 2014 are the ninth Annual Music Victoria Awards and consist of a series of awards, presented in October and November 2014. The Genre awards were awarded on 16 October 2014 in The Age building, while the public voted, ...

, Chet Faker , Best Male , , - , Chet Faker , Best Electronic Act , , -

J Award

The

J Awards 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, ...

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

. The J Awards were established in 2005. , - ,

J Awards of 2014 The J Award of 2014 is the tenth annual J Awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station i ...

, "Talk Is Cheap" , Australian Video of the Year ,

Helpmann Awards

The Helpmann Awards is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group ''Live Performance Australia'' since 2001. Note: 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. ! , - , 2015 , Chet Faker – ''National Tour 2015'' , Helpmann Award for Best Australian Contemporary Concert , , , -

MTV Video Music Awards

! , - , 2015 , "Gold" , Best Choreography , ,

Rolling Stone Australia Awards

The Rolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year. ! , - , 2012 , ''Thinking in Textures'' , Best Independent Release , , , - , 2021 , "Low" , Best Single , , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Faker, Chet 1988 births Australian electronic musicians Australian soul singers Australian singer-songwriters Trip hop musicians ARIA Award winners People from Melbourne Living people Downtempo musicians 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century Australian male singers Downtown Records artists Remote Control Records artists MapleMusic Recordings artists Australian male singer-songwriters People educated at St Kevin's College, Melbourne