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A royal house or royal dynasty consists of at least one, but usually more monarchs who are related to one another, as well as their non-reigning descendants and spouses. Monarchs of the same realm who are not related to one another are usually deemed to belong to different houses, and each house is designated by a name which distinguishes it from other houses. Strictly, a "royal house" is a dynasty whose members reign while bearing the title of king or queen, although it has become common to refer to any family which legally exercises sovereignty by hereditary right as a royal family, and its members as "royalty" or (colloquially) "royals". Historically, ruling families often consist of a senior and several junior branches, which are akin, but may have diverged in descent from a common ancestor many generations ago. The name used to refer to a royal house may or may not also be used by its members as a surname. Rather, members of dynasties are usually referred to by their titles, which may or may not also be hereditary.

Historically royal intermarriage has often brought multiple thrones to a sovereign's family. Sometimes appanages granted to cadet branches have become the nucleus of an independent monarchy—or an incentive to acquire one. Members of the same patrilineage may therefore come to rule entirely different countries and espouse national loyalties or cultural ties to nations other than the one ruled by the first monarch in the family—yet they may still acknowledge bonds based on membership in the same dynasty (e.g. Bourbon Family Compact), and may still inherit thrones or bequeath assets based upon that kinship, sometimes centuries later.

While most realms have, in the documented past, calculated membership in the royal house as descending through the male line (sometimes allowing females to inherit and sometimes not), most European monarchies have now constitutionally eliminated preference in the line of succession to the throne for males (Sweden, The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark), and some non-European royal families have contemplated doing so (Japan, Thailand). It has long been the case that royal houses sometimes continue in the female line of descent, although that most often occurred after the dynastic male line was genealogically exhausted (e.g. Habsburg, Orange-Nassau, Romanov, Grimaldi).

Royal house names in Europe were therefore generally taken from the father; in cases where a queen regnant married a prince of another house, their children (and therefore subsequent monarchs) belonged to the house of the prince consort. Thus Queen Victoria belonged to the House of Hanover, but her male-line descendants belong to the house of her husband Albert, which is Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a branch of the House of Wettin. The name was changed to Windsor in 1917.

Nevertheless, this rule had several exceptions in other countries: After the marriage of the then Archduchess Maria Theresa of the House of Habsburg in the 18th century to a Lorraine prince, her issue took the name Habsburg-Lorraine in order to closely associate themselves with the previous Habsburg dynasty. As mentioned, Portugal deemed the issue of Queen Maria II of Portugal and Prince Consort (later King) Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to be solely members of the Braganza, and the dynasty name, as opposed to Braganza-Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.^{[citation needed]}

In Russia, the death of Empress Elisabeth brought the House of Romanov to an end patrilineally. However, the Empress designated her nephew, Duke Peter-Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp from the House of Oldenburg, as heir to the throne. After his accession, the House name of Romanov was retained, despite the fact that Peter III inherited the crown from his maternal aunt.

More recently, in the 20th century, the children of regnant females in the Netherlands and Luxembourg have retained their maternal house affiliation, and in the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II's descendants by her husband, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, remain Windsor by letters patent, although Prince Phillip was of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and later surnamed "Mountbatten".

Another way in which the royal house of a given country may change is when a foreign prince is invited to fill a vacant throne or a next-of-king from a foreign house succeeds. This occurred with the death of childless Queen Anne of the House of Stuart: she was succeeded by a prince of the House of Hanover who was her nearest Protestant relative.

Reigning houses[link]

See List of royal houses

• Bahrain: House of Al Khalifa
• Belgium: House of Wettin (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha line)
• Bhutan: House of Wangchuck
• Brunei: House of Bolkiah
• Cambodia: House of Norodom
• Commonwealth realms: House of Windsor (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha line)- the following are the 16 Commonwealth realms:
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Australia
  • The Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Belize
  • Canada
  • Grenada
  • Jamaica
  • New Zealand
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Solomon Islands
  • Tuvalu
  • United Kingdom
• Denmark: House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (a branch of the House of Oldenburg)
• Japan: Imperial House of Japan (Yamato Dynasty)
• Jordan: House of Hashemite
• Kuwait: House of Al-Sabah
• Lesotho: House of Moshesh
• Liechtenstein: House of Liechtenstein
• Luxembourg: House of Nassau-Weilburg and Bourbon-Parma, (agnatically the House of Bourbon, Capetian Dynasty)
• Malaysia: Nine royal houses
  • Royal Family of Negeri Sembilan
  • Royal Family of Selangor
  • Royal Family of Perlis
  • Royal Family of Terengganu
  • Royal Family of Kedah(current royal house of Malaysia as of December 13, 2011)
  • Royal Family of Kelantan
  • Royal Family of Pahang
  • Royal Family of Johor
  • Royal Family of Perak
• Monaco: House of Grimaldi
• Morocco: Alaouite
• Kingdom of the Netherlands: House of Orange-Nassau (agnatically the House of Lippe)
• Norway: House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (a branch of the House of Oldenburg)
• Qatar: House of Thani
• Oman: House of Al Bu Sa'id
• Saudi Arabia: House of Saud
• Spain: House of Bourbon (Capetian Dynasty)
• Swaziland: House of Dlamini
• Sweden: House of Bernadotte
• Thailand: House of Chakri
• Tonga: House of Tupou
• United Arab Emirates: House of Al Nahyan (Al Qasimi)

Deposed or extinct sovereign Houses[link]

The majority of these nations are now republics or part of republics. The Princely Houses of Germany often have given their own names to the states they ruled.

• Afghanistan
  • Barakzai
  • Durrani dynasty
• Albania:
  • House of Wied
  • House of Zogu
• Anhalt: House of Ascania
• Aragon: House of Aragon
• Armenia:
  • House of Bagratid
  • House of Rubenid
  • House of Lampron
  • House of Lusignan
• Austria: House of Habsburg-Lorraine
• Azerbaijan: House of Shirvanshahs
• Baden: House of Zähringen
• Bavaria: House of Wittelsbach
• Bohemia: Přemyslid dynasty, House of Luxembourg, Jagiellon Dynasty; House of Habsburg-Lorraine
• Bosnia: House of Boričević-Berislavić
• Brazil: House of Bragança (branch of the House of Aviz); later Orléans-Bragança (branch of the House of Bourbon, a line of the House of Capet)
• Brunswick: House of Hanover (branch of the House of Guelph, a line of the House of Este)
• Bulgaria:
  • House of Dulo
  • House of Krum
  • House of Cometopuli
  • House of Assen
  • House of Terteroba
  • House of Sratsimir
  • House of Dragaš
  • House of Battenberg (branch of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt)
  • House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
• Busseto: Pallavicino
• Byzantine Empire
  • Palaiologos dynasty
  • Angelos
  • Doukas
  • Komnenos
  • Laskaris
  • Cantacuzino family
• China:

Han Chinese:

• • House of Ying 嬴氏: Imperial Family of Qin Dynasty
    • Hata clan 嬴氏 (Qin Dynasty), one branch of descendants of Qin Shi Huang, currently live in Japan.
  • House of Liu 劉氏 Liu: Imperial Family of Han Dynasty
  • House of Li 李氏 Li: Imperial Family of Tang Dynasty
  • House of Zhao 趙氏 Zhao: Imperial Family of Song Dynasty
  • House of Zhu 朱氏 Zhu, Imperial Family of Ming Dynasty
  • House of Borjigin 孛兒只斤, a.k.a. 博爾濟吉特 (Yuan Dynasty, Mongol Imperial Family)
  • House of Aisin-Gioro 愛新覺羅 (Qing Dynasty, Manchu Imperial Family)

• Former Commonwealth Realms: House of Windsor (agnatically the House of Wettin, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha line)
• Croatia:House of Trpimirović, Jagiellon Dynasty
• Cyprus
  • House of Windsor (agnatically the House of Wettin, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha line)
  • House of Lusignan
  • House of Cornaro
  • Komnenos
• Egypt: Muhammad Ali Dynasty
• England:
  • House of Wessex
  • House of Normandy
  • House of Anjou
    • House of Plantagenet
      • House of Lancaster
      • House of York
  • House of Tudor
  • House of Stuart
• Ethiopia: Solomonic dynasty
• Ferrara, Modena & Reggio: House of Este; later Austria-Este (a branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine)
• France:
  • House of Capet (royal), branches including: House of Valois (extinct 1589), House of Bourbon, and House of Orleans.
  • House of Bonaparte (imperial)
• Georgia: Bagrationi
• German Empire: House of Hohenzollern (Prussian line)
• Greece:
  • House of Wittelsbach
  • Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (branch of the House of Oldenburg)
• Hesse and by Rhine: House of Lorraine-Brabant
• Hawaii:
  • House of Kamehameha
  • House of Keoua
  • House of Kalaimamahu
  • House of Kalakaua
  • House of Kawananakoa
  • House of Kalokuokamaile
• Hungary:
  • Árpád dynasty;
  • House of Samuel Aba of Hungary
  • Capetian House of Anjou
  • House of Luxembourg
  • Jagiellon Dynasty
  • House of Hunyadi
  • House of Szapolyai
  • House of Habsburg-Lorraine
• Iran (Persia): Pahlavi
• Irak (Iraq): Hashemites
• Ireland (native): Provincial overkingdoms: O'Neill dynasty (Ulster), MacMurrough-Kavanagh dynasty (Leinster), O'Connor dynasty (Connacht), O'Brien dynasty (Munster). Regional kingdoms: O'Donnell dynasty (Tyrconnell), O'Rourke dynasty (Breifne), MacCarthy dynasty (Desmond)
• Ireland (non-native): House of Tudor, House of Stuart, House of Windsor (still reigning in Northern Ireland)
• Israel: House of David
• Kingdom of Italy (medieval): House of Ivrea - lines Valperga di Masino, di San Martino-Lorenzato, Castellamonte, San Martino d'Aglie.
• Kievan Rus: House of Rurik (Several princely and noble families of Rurik stock)
• Italy:
  • House of Savoy, or in Italian "Savoia"
  • House of Bonaparte (royal)
• Korea:
  • House of Dae
  • House of Go
  • House of Kim
  • House of Ma
  • House of Park
  • House of Sok
  • House of Wang
  • House of Yi
• Leinster: MacMurrough Kavanagh.
• Libya: Senussi
• Lippe: House of Lippe
• Grand Duchy of Lithuania: House of Mindaugas, House of Gediminas (Ruthenian Hedyminovichy, Belarusian: Гедымінавічы) later a branch of Gediminids - the Jagiellons
• Maldives: Huraa dynasty
• Mali
  • Keita Dynasty
• Mecklenburg-Schwerin: House of Mecklenburg (Nikloting dynasty)
• Mecklenburg-Strelitz: House of Mecklenburg (Nikloting dynasty)
• Melfi: House of Melfi
• Mexico:
  • House of Iturbide
  • House of Habsburg-Lorraine
  • House of Habsburg-Itúrbide
• Mirandola: Pico della Mirandola
• Modena & Reggio
  • House of Este
  • House of Habsburg-Este
• Monferrato : House of Gonzaga
• Mongolia: the Borjigin Mongol Empire, Choros
• Montenegro:
  • House of Vojislavljević
  • House of Balšić
  • House of Crnojević
  • House of Petrović
• Naples and the Two Sicilies: Capetian House of Anjou (branch of the House of Capet); House of Bourbon (branch of the House of Capet)
• Nepal: Shah dynasty
• Oldenburg: House of Oldenburg
• Ottoman Empire (Turkey): House of Osman
• Palatinate of the Rhine: House of Wittelsbach
• Parma Piacenza & Guastalla:
  • Farnese
  • Bourbon-Parma, a line of the House of Capet
• Poland
  • Piast Dynasty
  • Jagiellon Dynasty
• Portugal
  • House of Burgundy
    • House of Aviz
      • House of Braganza
        • House of Braganza-Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
      • House of Aviz-Beja
• Persia (Iran): Qajar Dynasty
• Polatsk: House of Rahvalodavichy, a branch of the Rurik Dynasty
• Prussia: See German Empire
• Reuß : House of Reuss
• Romania: House of Romania
• Russia: House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov (branch of the House of Oldenburg)
• Ryukyu Kingdom: House of Sho
• Sarawak: Brooke family
• Saxony: House of Wettin
  • Saxe-Altenburg (Ernestine branch)
  • Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Ernestine branch)
  • Saxe-Meiningen and Hildburghausen (Ernestine branch)
  • Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Grand Duchy of Saxony, Ernestine branch)
  • Saxony (Kingdom of Saxony, Albertine branch)
• Schaumburg-Lippe: House of Lippe
• Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt: House of Schwarzburg
• Schleswig-Holstein: House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (branch of the House of Oldenburg)
• Scotland
  • House of Alpin
  • House of Dunkeld
  • House of Balliol
  • House of Bruce
  • House of Stewart/Stuart
• Senegambia : present-day Senegal and Gambia
  • Joof family
    • The Royal House of Boureh Gnilane Joof
    • The Royal House of Jogo Siga Joof
    • The Royal House of Semou Njekeh Joof
• Serbia
  • House of Zupan
  • House of Nemanjić
  • House of Mrnjavčević
  • House of Lazarević
  • House of Branković
  • House of Smederevo
  • House of Obrenović
  • House of Karadjordjević
• Yugoslavia:
  • House of Karadjordjević
• Sicily: House of Altavilla, House of Hohenstaufen, Aragonese Kings of Sicily
• Slavonia: Jagiellon Dynasty
• Spain (pre-unification)
  • House of Ivrea
  • Nasrid Dynasty
  • House of Navarre (inherited by the Bourbon dynasty, a line of the Capetian dynasty)
  • House of Trastámara
• Spain (unified Kingdom)
  • senior branch of the House of Habsburg (extinct 1700)
  • House of Bourbon (current rulling royal family, restored in 1975)
  • House of Bonaparte
  • House of Savoy
• Sri Lanka: Nayaks of Kandy
• Thailand
  • Uthong Dynasty
  • Suphannaphum Dynasty
  • Sukhothai Dynasty
  • Prasat Thong Dynasty
  • Ban Phlu Luang Dynasty
  • Thonburi Dynasty
• Turkey: House of Osman
• Tunisia: Husainid Dynasty
• Tuscany:
  • Medici
  • House of Habsburg-Lorraine
• Tyrconnell: O'Donnell
• Vietnam:
  • Lý Dynasty
  • Trần Dynasty
  • Mạc Dynasty
  • Lê Dynasty
  • Nguyễn Dynasty
• Waldeck and Pyrmont: House of Waldeck-Pyrmont
• Wales:
  • House of Aberffraw
  • House of Dinefwr
  • House of Mathrafal
• Westphalia: House of Bonaparte (royal)
• Wied: House of Wied
• Württemberg: House of Württemberg
• Yawnghwe (Myanmar): Kanbawza
• Yemen: al-Qasimi
• Zimbabwe: Munhumutapa the bloodline survives in several kingdoms and chieftaincies in Southern Africa.

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2011)

Todd N. Terry (born April 18, 1967)^[1] is an American DJ, producer, and remixer.

Career[link]

Terry's productions extensively used samples blending the sounds of classic disco, the Chicago sound, and elements of hip-hop.^[1]

Terry began in the 1980s by DJing at parties in New York, playing Italian disco and hip hop, and later house music when it emerged in the middle of the decade.^[1][2] Much of Todd Terry's early work in the late 1980s is considered a milestone in the development of both progressive and modern deep house. Todd Terry has been responsible for releasing two of the most respected crossover remixes of the house era: "I'll House You" by the Jungle Brothers and "Missing" by Everything but the Girl by the mid 1990s.^[1]

Todd's tracks "Something Goin' On" and "Keep on Jumpin'" were both UK Top 10 hits,^[3][4] with the vocals on the latter provided by Jocelyn Brown and Martha Wash. Freestyle diva Shannon was the featured vocalist on the UK top 20 hit "It's Over Love" in 1997, which also topped the Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs Chart in the US, as did "Just Wanna Dance"/"Weekend".^[5][6] "All right, All right" also was featured on the British import Chicago House compilation Jackmaster Volume 1 in 1987.

In 1999, Todd Terry released Resolutions on Astralwerks Records, which successfully embraced the then still avant-garde drum 'n' bass aesthetic.^[1] He also mixes on the albums One Half of a Whole Decade and Live & Remastered.

Terry also used several aliases such as Swan Lake, Orange Lemon, Royal House, and Black Riot.^[7] He has also recorded as CLS, Masters at Work (with Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez & "Little" Louie Vega), Dredd Stock, House of Gypsies, Limelife, Hard House, Tyme Forse, and the Gypsymen (where under that alias, scored a number-one Billboard Hot Dance/Club play hit in 1992 with "Hear the Music").

Terry co-produced the song "Shake" on P.M. Dawn's debut album, Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience. The song ended with the repeated lyric "Everyone thank Todd Terry". He also produced "The House of Isis" from Isis' 1990 album Rebel Soul.

In October 2004, "Weekend" by the Todd Terry Project appeared in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on House Music radio station SF-UR.

Record labels[link]

InHouse Records was launched by Terry in 1999. It has been the vehicle through which Todd is able to release tracks to his fans without a filter. Currently Inhouse has over 500 commercially available tracks in the catalog including release by House of Gypsies, Roland Clark, Shawnee Taylor, Kelly Sajda, Gypsymen, Black Riot, Leon Cormack, and Todd Terry All Stars.

In 2000 Terry launched SoundDesign Records, the home to some of the harder tracks and artists he is working with and on, including releases from Danny Genius, Space Kadets, and Friscia & Lamboy.

Selected remixes[link]

• Anita Doth - Universe
• Annie Lennox -Little Bird
• Bizarre Inc. - I'm Gonna Get You
• Björk - Hyperballad
• The Cardigans - Love Fool
• Dr. Alban - This Time I'm Free
• Duran Duran - Electric Barbarella
• Everything But The Girl - Drivin
• Everything But The Girl - Missing
• Everything But The Girl - Wrong
• Garbage - Stupid Girl
• Kylie Minogue - Breathe
• Michael Jackson - Stranger in Moscow
• Martha Wash - Runaround
• Meredith Brooks - Bitch
• Playgroup featuring kc Flightt - Front 2 Back
• The Rolling Stones - Saint of Me
• Snap! - Rhythm Is a Dancer
• They Might Be Giants - S-E-X-X-Y
• Ultra Naté - Joy
• Yazoo - Don't Go
• Yes - Owner of a Lonely Heart
• 10,000 Maniacs - More than This
• Natalia Lesz - Arabesque

See also[link]

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References[link]

External links[link]

• Todd Terry on Myspace
• Todd Terry at Discogs
• Tod Terry live at Electrocity Poland (video)
• Todd Terry Official facebook page

Róisín Murphy
Róisín Murphy live in Sofia (2008)
Background information
Birth name	Róisín Marie Murphy
Born	(1973-07-05) 5 July 1973 (age 38) Arklow, County Wicklow, Ireland
Genres	Electropop, synthpop, alternative dance, nu-disco, house, trip hop, experimental, nu jazz
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, record producer
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Echo, EMI
Associated acts	Moloko
Website	www.myspace.com/roisinmurphy

Róisín Marie Murphy (Irish pronunciation: [roːˈʃʲiːnʲ], English: /roʊˈʃiːn/; born 5 July 1973) is an Irish singer-songwriter and record producer, known for her electronic style. Murphy has a contralto vocal range.^[1]

Murphy first came to note as one half of the electronic music duo Moloko with her then-boyfriend Mark Brydon. After the two ended their romantic relationship, Murphy released her debut solo album Ruby Blue, written and produced with Matthew Herbert, in 2005. Her second solo album Overpowered was released in 2007.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Murphy was brought up in Arklow, County Wicklow, Ireland, in a Roman Catholic family. When she was twelve, her family moved to Manchester, England.^[2] Murphy embraced 1960s fashions from going with her mother, an antique dealer, to car boot sales and charity shops.^[3] She concealed her singing voice, not wanting other people to know she "sounded like Elaine Paige" when she herself enjoyed listening to the likes of Sonic Youth and Pixies instead.^[2]

After three years of living in Manchester, her parents divorced and moved back to Ireland.^[4] Murphy insisted on remaining alone in the UK because she did not think that her mother had the strength to continue taking care of her.^[5] Murphy lived with her best friend for a year, until she could receive Housing Benefit and live in a nearby flat.^[4] She was bullied at school and befriended a group of "weird boys who wore black" and who listened to the Jesus and Mary Chain.^[2] She enrolled in a sixth form college at seventeen and later considered going to art school.^[4] She moved to Sheffield^[2] where she began going to nightclubs and was inspired by the Vivienne Westwood designs she saw at Trash.^[3]

1994–2003: Moloko[link]

Murphy met Mark Brydon in 1994 at a party, using the chat-up line "Do you like my tight sweater? See how it fits my body."^[6] Brydon brought Murphy to his Fon Studios, where he auditioned her voice on tape, and liked Murphy's theatrical delivery. They began dating, and the newly-formed Moloko were signed to Echo Records, releasing their debut album Do You Like My Tight Sweater? the following year.^[4] The album combined trip hop and funk with electronic dance music, using a more humorous approach than some of their contemporaries.^[6] The follow-up I Am Not a Doctor covered similar musical ground,^[6] and a remix by Boris Dlugosch of "Sing It Back" enjoyed international success, and would go on to be featured on more than 110 compilation albums.^[2] In place of paying Dlugosch, Murphy helped write "Never Enough",^[7] which reached number sixteen on the UK Singles Chart in June 2001.^[8]

October 2000 saw the release of Moloko's third album Things to Make and Do, for which they employed more live instrumentation, and more multifaceted arrangements by keyboardist Eddie Stevens.^[9] The album reached number three on the UK Albums Chart, and "The Time Is Now" became their most successful British single, reaching number two.^[8] Murphy and Brydon broke up but were contractually obligated to deliver further albums. After the 2003 release of Statues, Brydon backed out of much of the album's promotion, so Murphy handled most of it herself.^[5] Although no official statement was issued pertaining to Moloko's future, Murphy had this to say in an interview with Q magazine in May 2005 (which was reiterated in the review of Ruby Blue in July 2005):

We left it on good terms after a very successful tour. We shook hands, said, "See you later", and haven't spoken since. I don't know what Mark thinks of this record or what he's doing. I don't know if we will or we won't reunite. Myself, I don't not want to.

[edit] 2004–05: Ruby Blue

Murphy performing at the Orange Music Experience Festival in Haifa, Israel on 27 June 2005, as part of the Ruby Blue tour.

Murphy began doing solo work while still in Moloko, which included her contributions to the works of other artists including Handsome Boy Modeling School and Boris Dlugosch, for whom she sang on the track "Never Enough", which became a huge club hit, hitting the top three of the US Hot Dance Club Play chart.

Murphy recorded her first official solo material in 2004 with producer Matthew Herbert, who had previously done remixes for Moloko. She had wanted to work with him again, commenting that "it felt very natural... because Matthew makes things seem quicker and easier."^[10] After the pair had recorded a few songs, Murphy found that she enjoyed working with Herbert, and her label Echo Records let her work freely without any deadline. When she presented them the album, they found it odd and did not hear any songs that would make successful singles. The A&R division suggested that Murphy make some changes to make it more radio-friendly. Murphy refused, stating that she "wanted it to be as pure as possible." The label later came to support her.^[11]

Murphy released her debut album Ruby Blue in June 2005. Prior to this, tracks from the album were made available on three limited edition, vinyl-only releases: Sequins #1, Sequins #2 and Sequins #3. The release of the EP's was to precede a London exhibition by artist Simon Henwood, featuring paintings of Murphy in various sequined outfits (some of Henwood's paintings are used as cover images for the record jackets).^[12] The titling is also a pun on "sequins" and the related word "sequence". Henwood also directed the two video clips for the album's singles ("If We're in Love" and "Sow into You").

Ruby Blue samples sounds made by everyday objects and actions, including cosmetics, brass mice, dancing and ornaments.^[13] It mixes the electronic music for which Moloko was known with jazz and pop styles.^[14] Although the album was a commercial failure,^[15] it drew mainly positive reviews; Pitchfork Media called it "perfect, the ultimate combination of human warmth and technological know-how."^[16]

[edit] 2006–08: Overpowered

Murphy performing in Belgrade, Serbia on 26 August 2007.

In May 2006, Murphy announced on her website forum that she had signed with EMI and was working on new material. The first single, "Overpowered", was released on 2 July 2007. "Overpowered" was written by Murphy and Seiji of Bugz in the Attic and mixed by Tom Elmhirst (Amy Winehouse, Röyksopp, Grace Jones). The single is accompanied by a series of remixes from the likes of Seamus Haji, Kris Menace, Hervé and Loose Cannons.^[17] The second single "Let Me Know" (a collaboration with Andy Cato), was released in September and the album, named Overpowered, was released soon after.

In September 2007, Murphy received a pre-nomination for the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Inter Act, but did not make it to the final list.^[18] She performed "Let Me Know" on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on 5 October 2007.

Murphy sustained an eye injury on 27 October 2007, while on tour in Russia to promote Overpowered. She was forced to cancel several subsequent dates on the tour.^[19]

2009–present[link]

Despite well-known troubles at EMI, Murphy said in an interview in August 2008 that she was working on her third studio solo album. She said she was working with the producer from Overpowered, Seiji, to give the third album the "sleepy, synthesized vibe" that Overpowered has.^[20]

On 17 July 2009 BBC 6 Music revealed Murphy would release a new single, "Demon Lover", by the end of the summer. The singer describes the song as "a big funky house track. It's a souped-up full on garage tune". About her third album she says: "It is quite gritty, it has a slightly London sound to it, it's a bit more urban and bass-ey than Overpowered". ^[21] On the same day, a Murphy news blog also revealed that she was pregnant with her first child.^[22]

Murphy recently previewed new material at the SEone club in London, performing "Momma's Place" and "Hold up Your Hands". She also said on her official forum that she has written some new songs including "Leviathan (Do It Yourself)", among others with producer Apollo Andel. On 2 November, she premiered the single "Orally Fixated" on her Myspace page. The song was released 16 November. The Guardian offered a free download of the song for 48 hours beginning on 12 November.

In a January 2010 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Murphy said, "First of all, I haven't recorded a new album as such. I've recorded a lot of songs, but I haven't planned beyond just putting the songs out there and letting them have their own life, and see how the music lives on its own, without videos, without a big promotion. It's more just about getting songs out there and letting them have their own life."

On 8 March 2010, production duo Crookers released their new album Tons of Friends which features Murphy on the tracks "Royal T" and "Hold Up Your Hand".^[23]

On 6 April 2010 David Byrne and Fatboy Slim released their project "Here Lies Love", which features Murphy on the track "Don't You Agree?" ^[24]

Murphy has collaborated with Dutch DJ Mason on the track "Boadicea". It has been released in the UK and the US as a single on 21 March 2011. In 2011, she collaborated with Tony Christie on his album Now's The Time!. Also in 2011 she revealed to XOXO magazine that she has been working on new music and is ready to release an album sometime in the near future. She also added that her new music is coming from "a deeper place" than her last album Overpowered.

A collaboration with a "well-respected producer from Northern England" titled "Simulation" surfaced online in December 2011.^[25] Murphy also told Electronic Beats that she had recorded a track with David Morales.^[26]

Personal life[link]

Murphy is now in a relationship with her artist boyfriend Simon Henwood. On 15 December 2009, Murphy gave birth to her first child, a baby girl who she named Clodagh Henwood. Murphy and Simon Henwood are reportedly "thrilled" with the new addition to their budding family, who weighed at 8 lb 4oz.^[27]

Discography[link]

• Ruby Blue (2005)
• Overpowered (2007)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Róisín Murphy at Allmusic
• Róisín Murphy on Myspace
• Róisín Murphy's channel on YouTube
• Official Moloko website

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