Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai is an English band formed in 1992 with singer Jay Kay as frontman. The original line-up included Jay Kay (vocals), Toby Smith (keyboard), Stuart Zender (bass), Nick Van Gelder (drums), Wallis Buchanan (didgeridoo), and Alec Moran (pipeau), though as of 2011 the only original members left are Jay Kay and Derrick McKenzie (drummer circa 1994). The band was formed after Jay Kay's unsuccessful attempt to become the lead singer of fellow Nineties jazz/soul band The Brand New Heavies. Jamiroquai has released seven studio albums, the latest of which was released in October 2010.
Discography
- Space Cowboy
- Virtual Insanity
- Cosmic Girl
- Light Years
- Canned Heat
- Deeper Underground
- Little L
- You Give Me Something
- Love Foolosophy
- Supersonic
- Don't Give Hate A Chance
- Seven Sunny Days In June
Jamiroquai provides examples of the following tropes:
- Animal Motifs: Buffalo Man as seen below.
- Author Appeal:
- In their music two quite diverse interests crop up repeatedly. One is concern about scientific progress going too far and environmental concerns. The other is getting high.
- In video clips, fast cars. Which is a little odd considering their stance on the environment.
- Breakaway Pop Hit: Virtual Insanity in the UK, Canned Heat and Deeper Underground in the United States.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Jay Kay and how.
- Cool Car: Jay Kay enjoys collecting sport cars.
- Conveyor Belt Video: For Virtual Insanity.
- Cult Soundtrack.
- Funk: Most of the band's singles fall into this category.
- Insistent Terminology: Do NOT call Jamiroquai a pop band in earshot of their diehard fans. They are a funk group thank you very much.
- Mascot: BuffaloMan is the band's mascot.
- Melting Pot Nomenclature: The name of the band was constructed from "jam" as in jam sessions and "iroquai" as in the name of a Native American tribe.
- Nice Hat: And how! Look at this page's image for just one example.
- The Nineties: The decade in which Jamiroquai had its biggest success. They were introduced to an American fanbase by riding on the waves of the then Brit-pop phenomenon pushed by bands like the Spice Girls and Oasis.
- Jazz: The other category into which most of the band's singles falls into.
- Shout-Out: The clip to "(Don't) Give Hate a Chance" is a big one to the Italian cartoon La Linea.
- What Could Have Been: If Jay Kay had been successful in becoming lead singer for the Brand New Heavies, who knows what musical history might have been made.
