Biggest-selling virtual band

Gorillaz, a virtual band consisting of 2D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russel and their real-life creators, Blur frontman Damon Albarn and designer Jamie Hewlett (both UK), have sold more than 16 million albums worldwide since the release of their self-titled debut in 2001. The award-winning, cross-genre band, who exist in a fictional universe played out in their music videos, cartoons and on their website, have released four studio and two compilation albums to date, with Gorillaz and Demon Days (2005) alone racking up global sales in excess of 13 million copies. The idea for Gorillaz came about when Albarn and Hewlett were watching MTV. Hewlett: "We were flatmates. One day, we were home watching MTV with our eyes just kind of glazed. Because if you watch MTV for too long, it's a bit like hell - there's nothing of substance there. So we got this idea for a cartoon band, something that would be a comment on that." (Interview with Wired magazine, July 2005) In 2006, Gorillaz won a Grammy award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "Feel Good Inc", the lead single from Demon Days. They have also been nominated for nine BRIT awards. Gorillaz discography: Gorillaz (2001, studio album, 7 million+ copies sold worldwide) G Sides (2002, compilation album) Demon Days (2005, studio album, 6 million+ copies sold worldwide) D-Sides (2007, compilation album) Plastic Beach (2010, studio album, c. 900,000 copies sold worldwide) The Fall (2010, studio album) The Singles Collection 2001-2011 (2011)