Jamiroquai

Manchester native Jason Kay (J.K.) formed Jamiroquai in 1992, aiming to fuse classic '70s soul with the influence of acid jazz, house music and hip-hop. The son of famed UK jazz singer Karen Kay, J.K. had a troubled stretch of teenaged years when he left home, lived on petty thievery and was near-fatally stabbed in a street attack. This led to his returning home and beginning to make demo tapes, taking the name Jamiroquai from his identification both with vintage soul and Native American culture. After failing an audition with the Brand New Heavies, J.K. got his demos to the Acid Jazz label which released his debut single "When You Gonna Learn" in 1992. The single established his social conscience (the lyrics were environmentally-themed), his musical creativity (the track featured a digeridoo) and his vocal resemblance to Stevie Wonder, all of which struck a chord among progressive-minded R&B fans.  The accompanying album Emergency on Planet Earth was a critical success and led to the forming of a live touring lineup of Jamiroquai. However their American breakthrough had to wait until the triple-platinum 1996 album Travelling Without Moving, which included the smash single "Virtual Insanity." Spurred by a creative video, the song won a Grammy for Best Pop Performance, though it only hit the lower reaches of the US Top 40. The followup album Synkronized was also an international success, adding heavier funk and rock elements. Soon after its release J.K. was briefly involved in a tabloid flap as he was accused of assaulting a photographer on New Year's Eve 1999. Jamiroquai's biggest international hit, 2001's A Funk Odyssey, nodded to his roots in the cosmic funk of George Clinton. The 2005 album Dynamite found J.K. recording in five different countries, and updating the retro-soul vibe to take in '80s electronic dance music. This was re-integrated with the organic rock/funk elements on the next album, 2010's  Rock Dust Light Star. Now a respected elder statesman of funk, J.K. celebrated Jamiroquai's 20th anniversary with live shows in 2012-13. Seven years in the making, the eighth album Automation combined EDM elements and a technological theme with the trademark uplifting Jamiroquai vibe.