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 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, ''Work'' won Best Independent Release at the ''Rolling Stone'' Australia Awards for 2012. Murphy's cover of Blackstreet's " No Diggity" was featured in a 2013 Super Bowl commercial for Beck's Sapphire. In April 2014, '' Built on Glass'', 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 record chart, 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 beca ...

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

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 ...

'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 or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

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 Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

: "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. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

, as well as his mother's

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

albums and his father's "chilled out

Ibiza Ibiza (; ; ; #Names and pronunciation, see below) or Iviza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of th ...

CDs".

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

He first rose to prominence after his cover of Blackstreet's " No Diggity" went viral online, reaching number one on the Hypemachine 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 and remixes of songs by MS MR and

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

. He was a featured vocalist on Say Lou Lou's "Fool of Me", which was named Best New Track by ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' in May 2013.

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

On 12 August 2013, Murphy released a new single, "Melt", featuring American vocalist Kilo Kish. In November 2013 Flume and Murphy released an EP, titled '' Lockjaw''. Murphy released his debut studio album, '' Built on Glass'', 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; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

" 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 Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

", 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 ani ...

'', 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 and certified songs

Other appearances

Production

Remixes

Music videos

As lead artist

As featured artist

Awards and nominations

A2IM Libera Awards

! , - ,

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 ...

, 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 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="5" ,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, 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" ,

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 ...

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

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

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 ...

, "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 AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwri ...

(APRA) and

Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwr ...

(AMCOS). ! , - ,

, "Drop the Game" (with Flume) , Song of the Year , , , - , rowspan="5" ,

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

, 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 The 28th 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 2014 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fine ...

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

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 ...

, , "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 $50,000 ($30,000 from 2005 to 2023) 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 ...

(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",

, "No Diggity" , Best Song , , - , Chet Faker , Best Male , , - , Chet Faker , Best New Talent , , - , Chet Faker , Outstanding Achievement By a Victorian Artist , , - , rowspan="2",

, 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, 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

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

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

Helpmann Awards

The

Helpmann Awards The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical theatre ...

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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. ! , - ,

, Chet Faker – ''National Tour 2015'' , Best Australian Contemporary Concert , , , -

MTV Video Music Awards

! , - ,

, "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. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' 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 Trip hop musicians ARIA Award winners Musicians 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 21st-century Australian singer-songwriters