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.[1][2] 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.[3] In January 2013, the work won Best Independent Release at the Rolling Stone Australia Awards for 2012.[4]
Nick Murphy | |
|---|---|
 Murphy at the Rolling Stone Awards, Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach, in January 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Nicholas James Murphy |
| Also known as | Chet Faker (2011–2016, 2020–present) |
| Born | 23 June 1988 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instrument(s) |
|
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels |
|
| Website | nickmurphy |
Murphy's cover of Blackstreet's "No Diggity" was featured in a 2013 Super Bowl commercial for Beck's Sapphire.[5] 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.[6][7] Three tracks from the album were voted into the top ten of Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2014, including the number one spot for "Talk Is Cheap".[8]
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.[9] Murphy's second studio album – the first under his birth name – Run Fast Sleep Naked was released in April 2019.[10] This was followed up by a surprise instrumental album, Music for Silence, in March 2020, initially released via the Calm meditation app.[11]
In October 2020, four years after dropping the moniker, Murphy revived the Chet Faker name for the release of a new single, "Low".[12]
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."[13] Other influences he has cited include Bob Dylan, as well as his mother's Motown albums and his father's "chilled out Ibiza CDs".[13][14]
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.[13] 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".[15] The EP was also popular with fans, with its second single, "I'm into You", landing at number 24 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2012.[16]
Murphy has collaborated with Flume and remixes of songs by MS MR and The Temper Trap. He was a featured vocalist on Say Lou Lou's "Fool of Me", which was named Best New Track by Pitchfork in May 2013.[17]
Lockjaw EP and Built on Glass (2013–15)
On 12 August 2013, Murphy released a new single, "Melt", featuring American vocalist Kilo Kish.[18] In November 2013 Flume and Murphy released an EP, titled Lockjaw. Murphy released his debut studio album, Built on Glass, on 11 April 2014.[19] The album's full release was preceded by its lead single, "Talk Is Cheap", and an accompanying music video on 11 February 2014.[20] The album debuted at number one on the ARIA Charts.[7]
Murphy performed at the Boston Calling Music Festival in May 2015.[21] Later that month, "Talk Is Cheap" was named the number-one song in the 2014 Triple J Hottest 100, while two other singles, "Gold" and "1998", also reached the top ten, placing at number 7 and 8, respectively.[22] In June, Murphy released a new single, "Bend", a previously unreleased track intended for Built on Glass.[23] It was promoted by his Australian Built on Live tour in October.[24]
Murphy released a new EP, Work, a collaboration with London-based DJ Marcus Marr on 4 December 2015.[25]
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."[26][non-primary source needed][27][28]
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.[29]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [7] | AUS Dance [30] | AUS Indie [31] | BEL (FL) [32] | FRA [33] | NL [34] | NZ [35] | SWI [36] | UK [37] | US [38] | |||
| as Chet Faker | ||||||||||||
| Built on Glass |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 31 | 76 | 51 | 6 | 49 | 87 | 158 | |
| as Nick Murphy | ||||||||||||
| Run Fast Sleep Naked |
| —[A] | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Music for Silence |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| as Chet Faker | ||||||||||||
| Hotel Surrender |
| 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| as Nick Murphy & The Program | ||||||||||||
| Take in The Roses |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released. | ||||||||||||
Live albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [7] | AUS Indie [31] | ||
| Live Sessions |
| — | — |
| 18 Dec 2013 – Good Danny's Austin, TX |
| — | — |
| iTunes Session |
| 18 | 2 |
Extended plays
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [7] | AUS Indie [31] | US Dance | US Heat | |||
| as Chet Faker | ||||||
| Thinking in Textures |
| 38 | 4 | — | — | |
| Lockjaw EP (with Flume) |
| — | — | — | — |
|
| Work (with Marcus Marr) |
| 42 | — | 9[51] | 23[52] | |
| as Nick Murphy | ||||||
| Missing Link |
| — | 5[54] | 21[55] | — | |
| Cassette #1 (425 Made) |
| — | — | — | — | |
| Cassette #2 (350 Made) |
| — | — | — | — | |
| Cassette #3 |
| — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [56] | AUS Dance [57] | AUS Indie [54] | BEL (FL) Tip [32] | CAN Rock [58] | FRA [59] | NZ [60] | US Alt. [61] | US AAA [62] | US Dance [63] | ||||
| as Chet Faker | |||||||||||||
| "Terms and Conditions" | 2012 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Thinking in Textures | |
| "I'm into You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Love and Feeling" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Drop the Game" (with Flume) | 2013 | 18 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 125 | — | — | — | — | Lockjaw EP | |
| "Talk Is Cheap" | 2014 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Built on Glass |
| "1998" | 55 | 16 | 6 | 71 | — | 95 | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Gold" | 40 | 5 | 5 | 51 | 17 | — | — | 32 | — | — | |||
| "Bend" | 2015 | 48 | 11 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "1998" (featuring Banks) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 31 | |||
| "The Trouble with Us" (with Marcus Marr) | 8 | 1 | 1 | 9 | — | — | 31 | — | — | 47 | Work | ||
| as Nick Murphy | |||||||||||||
| "Fear Less" | 2016 | — | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Stop Me (Stop You)" | 92 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Medication" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "(Lover) You Don't Treat Me No Good" (Triple J Like a Version)[70] | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Sanity" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | —[B] | — | — | — | Run Fast Sleep Naked | |
| "Dangerous"[72] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Goodnight" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Introvertts Paradise" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| as Chet Faker | |||||||||||||
| "Low"[73] | 2020 | — | — | 7 | — | 18 | — | — | — | 8 | 47 | Hotel Surrender | |
| "Get High"[74] | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | —[C] | — | — | — | ||
| "Whatever Tomorrow"[76] | — | — | — | — | — | — | —[D] | — | — | — | |||
| "Feel Good"[78] | — | — | — | — | — | — | —[E] | — | — | — | |||
| "It's Not You"[80] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| as Nick Murphy and the Program | |||||||||||||
| "Old Dog"[81] | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Take in the Roses | |
| as Chet Faker | |||||||||||||
| "It Could Be Nice"[82] | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | TBA | |
| "Something Like This"[83] | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "I Wanna Try Something New"[84] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
Notes
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [56] | BEL (FL) tip [32] | |||
| "Kill the Doubt"[85] (The Cactus Channel featuring Chet Faker) | 2015 | — | 53 | Non-album single |
Promotional singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [56] | AUS Indie [54] | |||
| "Melt" (featuring Kilo Kish) | 2013 | 60 | 4 | Built on Glass |
Other charted songs
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [86] | AUS Dance [87] | |||
| "This Song Is Not About a Girl" (Flume and Chet Faker) | 2013 | 52 | 12 | Lockjaw EP |
| "What About Us" (Flume and Chet Faker) | 53 | 13 | ||
Other appearances
| Title | Year | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Mahal" (Ta-ku featuring Chet Faker) | 2011 | LATENYC | |
| "Fear Like You" (Chet Faker and The Royal Swazi Spa) | 2012 | The Key of Sea – Volume 2 | |
| "Left Alone" (Flume featuring Chet Faker) | Flume | ||
| "Moon Plain" (The Coober Pedy University Band featuring Chet Faker) | 2013 | Moon Plain | |
| "Fool of Me" (Say Lou Lou featuring Chet Faker) | Julian | ||
| "Rock On" (Nkechi Anele and Chet Faker; David Essex cover) | Non-album single | ||
| "Try It Over" (Yujen) | No Aware | Vocals | |
| "On You" (Chet Faker and GoldLink)[88] | 2014 | Non-album single | |
| "No Reason" (Bonobo and Nick Murphy) | 2017 | Migration | |
| "I Need" (KING SOL featuring Chet Faker) | Winter Thoughts EP | ||
| "Basic Needs" (Heathered Pearls featuring Nick Murphy) | 2020 | Non-album single |
Production
| Title | Year | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Don't Regret Me" | 2012 | Rainy Milo | Limey |
| "Deal Me Briefly" | 2013 | This Thing of Ours |
Remixes
| Title | Year | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| "So Sorry" | 2011 | Geoffrey O'Connor |
| "North"[89] | Phoenix | |
| "Nude"[90] | Radiohead | |
| "Trembling Hands" | 2012 | The Temper Trap |
| "Dark Doo Wop"[91] | MS MR | |
| "Pretty Girls" | 2015 | Little Dragon |
| "1998" (Nick Murphy Remix) | Chet Faker | |
| "Remains (Vocal Dub)" | Shlohmo | |
| "Story" | 2020 | ame_no_parade |
Music videos
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "Terms and Conditions" | 2011 | Isabella Giovinazzo[92] |
| "I'm into You" | 2012 | Josh Mckie[93] |
| "Drop the Game" (Flume and Chet Faker) | 2013 | Lorin Askill[94] |
| "Talk Is Cheap" | 2014 | Toby and Pete[95] |
| "1998" | Domenico Bartolo[96] | |
| "Gold" | Hiro Murai[97] | |
| "The Trouble with Us" (Marcus Marr and Chet Faker) | 2015 | Kinopravda[98] |
| "Feel Good" | 2021 |
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "Left Alone" (Flume featuring Chet Faker) | 2013 | Rhett Wade-Ferrell[99] |
| "No reason" (Bonobo feat. Nick Murphy) | 2017 | Oscar Hudson[100] |
Awards and nominations
A2IM Libera Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Chet Faker | Breakthrough Artist of the Year | Nominated | [101] |
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.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Chet Faker | Best Independent Artist | Nominated | [102] |
| Breakthrough Independent Artist | Won | |||
| Thinking in Textures | Best Independent Single/EP | Won | ||
| Best Independent Dance/Electronica Album | Nominated | |||
| "Terms and Conditions" | Best Independent Dance/Electronica Single | Nominated | ||
| 2014 | Chet Faker | Best Independent Artist | Nominated | [103] |
| Built on Glass | Best Independent Album | Nominated | ||
| Best Independent Dance/Electronica Album | Nominated | |||
| 2015 | Chet Faker | Best Independent Artist | Nominated | [104] |
| 2017 | "Stop Me (Stop You)" | Best Independent Dance/Electronic Club Song or EP | Won | [105] |
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).[106]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "Drop the Game" (with Flume) | Song of the Year | Shortlisted | [107] |
| 2015 | "1998" (Chet Faker) | Song of the Year | Shortlisted | [108] |
| "Gold" (Chet Faker) | Shortlisted | |||
| "Talk Is Cheap" (Chet Faker) | Shortlisted | |||
| Chet Faker | Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year | Nominated | [109] | |
| "Drop the Game" (with Flume) | Dance Work of the Year | Nominated | [110] | |
| 2017 | "The Trouble With Us" (with Marcus Marr) | Dance Work of the Year | Nominated | [111] |
| Most Played Australian Work | Nominated | [111] |
ARIA Awards
Chet Faker received nine nominations at the ARIA Music Awards of 2014,[112][113]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Built on Glass | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| Best Male Artist | Won | ||
| Breakthrough Artist | Nominated | ||
| Best Independent Release | Won | ||
| Engineer of the Year (Engineer: Eric J Dubowsky) | Won | ||
| Producer of the Year (Producer: Nicholas Murphy) | Won | ||
| Best Cover Art (Art Director: Tin and Ed) | Won | ||
| "Talk Is Cheap" | Best Video (Video Director: Toby and Pete) | Nominated | |
| "Drop the Game" (with Flume) | Best Dance Release | Nominated | |
| 2016 | "The Trouble With Us (with Marcus Marr)" | Song of the Year | Nominated |
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 AMP was established in 2005.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014[114] | Built on Glass | Australian Music Prize | Nominated |
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.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012[115][116] | "No Diggity" | Best Song | Nominated |
| Chet Faker | Best Male | Nominated | |
| Chet Faker | Best New Talent | Nominated | |
| Chet Faker | Outstanding Achievement By a Victorian Artist | Nominated | |
| 2014[117][118] | Chet Faker | Best Male | Nominated |
| Chet Faker | Best Electronic Act | Won |
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. The J Awards were established in 2005.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014[119] | "Talk Is Cheap" | Australian Video of the Year | Nominated |
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.[120] Note: 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Chet Faker – National Tour 2015 | Best Australian Contemporary Concert | Won | [121] |
MTV Video Music Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "Gold" | Best Choreography (Choreographer: Ryan Heffington) | Nominated | [122] |
Rolling Stone Australia Awards
The Rolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of Rolling Stone magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year.[123]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Thinking in Textures | Best Independent Release | Won | [4] |
| 2021 | "Low" | Best Single | Nominated | [124] |
References
External links
Media related to Chet Faker at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
