Claim: Gorillaz's bassist Murdoc Niccals is a fictional character.

Gorillaz are an English virtual band created in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett . The band consists of four animated members : 2-D -LRB- lead vocals , keyboards -RRB- , Murdoc Niccals -LRB- bass guitar -RRB- , Noodle -LRB- guitar , keyboards -RRB- and Russel Hobbs -LRB- drums and percussion -RRB- . These members are fictional and are not personas of any `` real life '' musicians involved in the project . Their fictional universe is explored through the band 's website and music videos , as well as a number of other media , such as short cartoons . In reality , Albarn is the only permanent musical contributor , and the music is often a collaboration between various musicians . Writers and critics have described their music as alternative rock , Britpop , trip hop , hip hop , electronica , indie , dub , reggae and pop .   The band 's 2001 debut album Gorillaz sold over seven million copies and earned them an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the Most Successful Virtual Band . It was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2001 , but the nomination was later withdrawn at the band 's request . Their second studio album Demon Days -LRB- 2005 -RRB- went five times platinum in the UK and double platinum in the US . The band has won other awards , including one Grammy Award , two MTV Video Music Awards , an NME Award , three MTV Europe Music Awards , and have been nominated for nine Brit Awards . The band 's third studio album , Plastic Beach , was released in March 2010 . Their fourth studio album called The Fall was released in December 2010 as a free download for fan club members , then in April 2011 as a physical release . After a six-year hiatus , Gorillaz announced their fifth studio album Humanz , which was released on 28 April 2017 .