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Empire of the Sun (band)

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Empire of the Sun

Empire of the Sun is an Australian electronic music duo which formed in 2007.[1] The duo is currently composed of Luke Steele of The Sleepy Jackson and Nick Littlemore of Pnau.[2] The pair’s name comes from the 1984 novel of the same name by J. G. Ballard but is not directly named after it.[3] The duo achieved chart success with their first single Walking on a Dream which peaked at number ten on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart and reached number sixty four on the UK Singles Chart.
Their debut album also titled Walking on a Dream, released in October 2008, to date has been certified platinum in Australia[3] and has spawned the top twenty hit We are the People. Recently Empire of the Sun has gained mainstream media attention for gaining fourth position on the BBC’s annual Sound of Music poll 2009.[4] They are currently signed to EMI Australia and Virgin UK.[5]


Biography

Their first single titled "Walking on a Dream" was released digitally on August 30, 2008.[6] The single received airtime from many Australian radio stations and has since reached #10 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart.[7], breaking the record for the longest time taken for a single to reach the Top 10 (23 weeks). It has also made the iTunes charts' top ten. It has as well been released as a free single on April 21, 2009. In reference to the book/film "Empire of the Sun", the music video for the song was filmed in Shanghai, China[6] and was directed by Josh Logue. They released a second single, entitled "We Are The People", which was an exclusive iTunes pre-release single, the video for which was shot in Mexico. "We Are The People" peaked at number twenty-four on the ARIA Charts. The third single, Standing on the Shore was released on iTunes on June 12 and for general release on June 23rd. The video was filmed in Lancelin in April 2009 [8]

Their debut album, Walking on a Dream, was released on October 4, 2008, with six tracks from the album released online on their MySpace page in the week prior to the album's release.[9] The album debuted at number eight on the ARIA charts,[10] but has subsequently peaked at number six.

Recognition

In the UK, they gained fourth position on the BBC News website's Sound of 2009 poll.[11]

Empire of the Sun appeared for the first time in a Triple J Hottest 100 with two entries in the 2008 countdown; "We are the People" at number 68 and "Walking on a Dream" at number 4. [12]

Discography

Empire of the Sun discography
Studio albums1
Singles3
Music videos3
B-sides1
Other releases1

Studio albums

Year Album Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
AUS NZ UK IRE SWI NET BEL
2008 Walking on a Dream

Released: October 4, 2008
Label: EMI 2354032
Format: CD, Digital Download

6
39
19
17
15
70
34
ARIA: Platinum

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold) 		Album
AUS NZ UK EUR IRE BEL ITA SWI NLD SWE MAL
2008 "Walking on a Dream" 10 14 64 141 8 10 16 30 29 52 38 ARIA: Platinum Walking on a Dream
"We Are the People" 24 - 14 - 24 48 31 48 - - - ARIA: Gold
2009 "Standing on the Shore" - - - - - - - - - - -

Music videos

Year Title Notes
2008 "Walking on a Dream" Filmed in Shanghai, China. Directed by Josh Logue.
"We Are the People" Filmed at Las Pozas, Monterrey and García in Mexico. Directed by Josh Logue.
2009 "Standing on the Shore" Filmed at Lancelin, north of Perth, Australia[1]. Directed by Josh Logue

B-sides

Year Title Notes A-side
2009 "The Art of Driving" Cover of the song originally performed by Black Box Recorder, for use in advertising for the BMW Z4. Will be released in June 2009[13]. "Standing on the Shore"

Other releases

Year Title Notes
2009 "Romance to Me" Available as a free download for members of the official Empire of the Sun forum[14].

References

  1. ^ a b "Empire Of The Sun: Interview". Prefix Magazine. April 8, 2009. Retrieved April 15, 2009.
  2. ^ "The Sleepy Jackson's Luke Steele Returns With New Band". NME. 12 July 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2009. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ a b "Empire of the Sun Biography - AllMusicGuide". 12 July 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2009. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  4. ^ "Empire of the Sun place 4th on [[BBC]] Sound of Music Poll 2009". 12 July 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2009. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  5. ^ "Empire of the Sun Myspace Page Info". 12 July 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2009. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  6. ^ a b "Empire Of The Sun Biography". musichead.com.au. 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
  7. ^ "Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream". acharts.us. 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
  8. ^ "Standing On The Shore video now in HD".
  9. ^ Kachor, Kate (29 September 2008). "Empire Of The Sun Release Tracks Online". elevenmagazine.com.au. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
  10. ^ "Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream". acharts.us. 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
  11. ^ "BBC Sound of 2008: Empire of the Sun". BBC News website. 5 December 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2009.
  12. ^ http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24966001-5012980,00.html
  13. ^ Empire of the Sun creates art of a different kind with the new BMW Z4 Official Empire of the Sun website
  14. ^ Romance To Me free mp3 Official Empire of the Sun website
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