Nicholas James Murphy, previously known by his stage name, Chet Faker, is an Australian singer and songwriter. In 2012, he issued an extended play, Thinking in Textures, and signed to Downtown Records in the United States. 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. In January 2013, the work won Best Independent Release at the Rolling Stone Australia Awards for 2012. Murphy's cover of Blackstreet's "No Diggity" was featured in a 2013 Super Bowl commercial for Beck's Sapphire. 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. 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". Since September 2016 he has performed and released material under his birth name.
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 an 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." Other influences he has cited include Bob Dylan, as well as his mother's Motown albums and his father's "chilled out Ibiza CDs".
''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. 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". 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. 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.
''Lockjaw EP'' and ''Built on Glass'' (2013–15)
On 12 August 2013, Murphy released a new single, "Melt", featuring American vocalist Kilo Kish. In November 2013 Flume and Murphy released an EP, titled Lockjaw. Murphy released his debut studio album, Built on Glass, on 11 April 2014. The album's full release was preceded by its lead single, "Talk Is Cheap", and an accompanying music video on 11 February 2014. The album debuted at number one on the ARIA Charts. Murphy performed at the Boston Calling Music Festival in May 2015. 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. In June, Murphy released a new single, "Bend", a previously unreleased track intended for Built on Glass. It was promoted by his Australian Built on Live tour in October. Murphy released a new EP, Work, a collaboration with London-based DJ Marcus Marr on 4 December 2015.
Nick Murphy (2016–present)
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."
Chet Faker received nine nominations at the ARIA Music Awards of 2014, on 7 October he won three Artisan Awards and on 26 November he won two more categories.
