Gorillaz are a British virtual band created in 1998 by Damon Albarn of rock band Blur, and Jamie Hewlett, co-creator of the comic book Tank Girl.

"[1] Gorillaz is a virtual band consisting of four cartoon characters: 2D, Murdoc, Noodle, and Russel.

They are used in promotional material such as album covers, posters, and in concerts, during which holographic versions of the characters are used.

[2] Gorillaz have released eight studio albums, all on the Parlophone and Virgin record labels: Gorillaz (2001), Demon Days (2005),[3] Plastic Beach (2010), The Fall (digital in 2010, physical in 2011), Humanz (2017), The Now Now (2018), Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez (2020), and Cracker Island (2023).

In 2001, their debut album, Gorillaz, was nominated for a Mercury Prize, but it was later withdrawn at the band's request.

Murdoc Niccals, the virtual bassist of the band, described the nomination as, "It's like carrying a dead albatross round your neck for eternity".

The prize was conceived by Popjustice founder Peter Robinson in 2003 as a reaction to what he perceived as the pompous and elitist nature of the existing Mercury Prize, which recognises the best album of the previous year, and in particular its exclusion of pop music acts in favour of those from more esoteric genres.

[22] The BT Digital Music Awards were created in the UK in 2001 and are held annually.