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Felix Riebl (born 1 May 1981) is a singer, songwriter, and composer based in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. He is the co-founder, band leader and principal songwriter of the internationally acclaimed band
The Cat Empire The Cat Empire are an Australian jazz/funk band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1999. For most of the band's duration, the core members were Felix Riebl (lead vocals, percussion), Harry James Angus (trumpet, vocals), Will Hull-Brown (drums), ...
, who have made multi-platinum albums, and are the 2006 winner of the World Music Aria Award for their album ''
Cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
''. Outside of his work with The Cat Empire, Riebl has composed music for the Australia Day Spectacular at Darling Harbour in 2013, the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne 2006, The Dream Festival on the
Yarra River The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, ( Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia. The lower s ...
in 2009, and Australia's first ever White Night in Melbourne in 2013.


Early life and family

Felix Riebl was born in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
to an Austrian father and an Australian mother. He spent his childhood living in Europe before moving back to Australia when he was in his early teens. Riebl's childhood was surrounded by music: his uncle, Thomas, was a professor of viola at the
Mozarteum Salzburg Mozarteum University Salzburg ( German: ''Universität Mozarteum Salzburg'') is one of three affiliated but separate (it is actually a state university) entities under the “Mozarteum” moniker in Salzburg municipality; the International Mo ...
, and family members, including his cousin Misty who was an aspiring artist, studying at
Victorian College of the Arts The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) is the arts school at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It is part of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music. It is located near the Melbourne city centre on the Southbank campus of the ...
would regularly take him to sit amongst the
Vienna Philharmonic The Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; german: Wiener Philharmoniker, links=no) is an orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world. The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. It ...
. Of his family, Riebl said in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald that
"My sister is a classical pianist, my brother's a singer, and dad's brother is quite a famous viola player in Austria. We listened to a lot of music and we danced a lot and sang a lot. The older I get, the realisation comes that a lot of this starts early in the family."
Riebl's younger brother, Max (1991–2022), sang and played trumpet on the song "Miserere" on The Cat Empire's second album ''
Two Shoes ''Two Shoes'' is the second studio album by Australian ska-jazz band The Cat Empire, which was issued on 19 April 2005. It is the follow-up to their successful self-titled first album. It was recorded in November to December 2004 in Havana, C ...
''.


Career


1999–2022: The Cat Empire

In 1999, Riebl co-founded
The Cat Empire The Cat Empire are an Australian jazz/funk band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1999. For most of the band's duration, the core members were Felix Riebl (lead vocals, percussion), Harry James Angus (trumpet, vocals), Will Hull-Brown (drums), ...
with Ollie McGill and
Ryan Monro Ryan Monro (born 26 July 1981) is an Australian bassist, known for playing with Australian ska/jazz band The Cat Empire. He has been the bassist for The Cat Empire since its inception and also plays in jazz trio "The Genie", which includes fel ...
. He was the primary songwriter on the band's self-entitled debut album, including being the sole writer of their first single, "
Hello ''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses ''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the '' Norwich ...
". In addition to his role as a musician in the band, Riebl had helped produce the albums ''
Two Shoes ''Two Shoes'' is the second studio album by Australian ska-jazz band The Cat Empire, which was issued on 19 April 2005. It is the follow-up to their successful self-titled first album. It was recorded in November to December 2004 in Havana, C ...
'' and ''
Cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
''.


2011-present: Solo Career

In 2011 Riebl released his debut solo album ''Into the Rain''. The album featured a number of original compositions, as well as a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "
I'm on Fire "I'm on Fire" is a song written and performed by American rock performer Bruce Springsteen. Released in 1985, it was the fourth single from his album '' Born in the U.S.A.'' History "I'm on Fire" was first recorded in January 1982 during the f ...
", whom Riebl cites alongside
Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...
and
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 influences on the album. The album was a moderate success, peaking at No. 61 on the Australian iTunes albums chart. In December 2015, Riebl released the four-track EP ''Lonely Truth'', as a teaser for his second solo album. The song "Crocodiles", inspired by a trip to
Timor-Leste East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-west ...
, was released as a single in January 2016. In January 2016, the Pilbara Project choir premiered Riebl's song-cycle based on the
Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a g ...
. Riebl released his second solo album ''Paper Doors'' on 2 September 2016 to positive reviews.
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 ...
gave the album 3.5 stars out of 4, praising Riebl as "far more than the frontman for one of Australia's most enduring party bands". ''Paper Doors'' peaked at No. 46 on the
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 ...
and at No. 31 on Australian iTunes. In January 2017, Riebl released the tribute song "Ms Dhu" and an accompanying music video, following the release of the inquest into the
death of Ms Dhu Julieka Ivanna Dhu (commonly referred to as Ms Dhu; her first name was generally not used in media reports out of respect for Aboriginal naming customs) was a 22-year-old Aboriginal Australian woman who died in police custody in South Hedland ...
. Since 2015 Reibl has been composer and creative director for the Indigenous choral ensemble Spinifex Gum. In July 2022, Riebl announced the forthcoming release of his third solo studio album, ''Everyday Amen'', and title track as its lead single.


Personal life

Riebl resides in
Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to: People As a given name *Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name: **FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855) ** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...
. Politically, he aligns himself with
The Greens The Greens or Greens may refer to: Current political parties *Australian Greens, also known as ''The Greens'' *Greens of Andorra * Greens of Bosnia and Herzegovina *Greens of Burkina * Greens (Greece) * Greens of Montenegro *Greens of Serbia *Gree ...
. He is an ambassador for the
Indigenous Literacy Foundation The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) is an Australian not-for-profit founded in 2011 that works to address the educational disadvantages faced by Indigenous Australian children and young people by providing access to books and literacy prog ...
, alongside authors Richard Flanagan and
David Malouf David George Joseph Malouf AO (; born 20 March 1934) is an Australian poet, novelist, short story writer, playwright and librettist. Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2008, Malouf has lectured at both the University of Que ...
, and didgeridoo player William Barton. Riebl has also been actively involved in campaigning for
350.org 350.org is an international environmental organization addressing the climate crisis. Its stated goal is to end the use of fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy by building a global, grassroots movement. The 350 in the name stands fo ...
, Market Forces, and the
Australian Conservation Foundation The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) is Australia's national environmental organisation, launched in 1965 in response to a proposal by the World Wide Fund for Nature for a more co-ordinated approach to sustainability. One high-profil ...
on raising climate change awareness and action.


Discography


Albums


Extended Plays


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Riebl, Felix Alternative rock singers Australian alternative rock musicians Australian composers Australian rock singers Australian jazz percussionists Living people Australian percussionists 1981 births 20th-century Australian male singers 21st-century Australian male singers Male jazz musicians The Cat Empire members Musicians from Melbourne