b. 5 July 1973, Arklow, Eire. This Irish singer-songwriter enjoyed critical and commercial success as one half of the Anglo-Irish electronic pop duo Moloko. Formed with her romantic partner Mark Brydon in 1995, Murphy enjoyed a string of hit singles with Moloko in the late 90s and early 00s. The duo ended their relationship in 2001 but recorded one further Moloko album before putting the group on hiatus. During her time with Moloko, Murphy also appeared as a guest vocalist on recordings by Handsome Boy Modeling School and Boris Dlugosch.
After breaking with Brydon, Murphy teamed up with pioneering UK electronic musician Matthew Herbert to work on her solo debut for Echo Records (Herbert had previously remixed Moloko's "Sing It Back"). The limited edition, vinyl-only Sequin EPs were released in three installments in early 2005, and were compiled later in the year as the full-length Ruby Blue. The adventurous music on the album was a testament to Murphy and Herbert's willingness to explore a wide range of source material, taking in hot jazz ("Night Of The Dancing Flame"), African rhythms ("Ramalama (Bang Bang)"), found sound ("Through Time", "Dear Diary"), and simple balladry (the beautiful closing track "The Closing Of The Doors").
Despite excellent reviews in the international press Ruby Blue was a commercial failure. The reviews impressed EMI Records, however, who took the chance with the singer and offered her a new contract. Recorded with several leading UK dance producers and writers, including Richard X and Andy Cato of Groove Armada, the resulting Overpowered was a far more accessible collection of material that focused squarely on the dance pop market.
