Background and career
Róisín Marie Murphy ( roh-SHEEN; born 5 July 1973) is an Irish singer, songwriter and record producer who first became known in the 1990s as one half of the pop duo Moloko alongside the English musician Mark Brydon. After the breakup of Moloko, Murphy embarked on a solo career and released her debut solo album Ruby Blue (2005), which she wrote and produced with the experimental musician Matthew Herbert, to critical praise. Her second solo album Overpowered was released in 2007. In 2015, after an eight-year hiatus that was sporadically interrupted by non-album singles, side projects and guest appearances on other artists' records, Murphy released her third solo album Hairless Toys, which was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and Ireland's Choice Music Prize. The following year, she released her fourth album Take Her Up to Monto. In 2018, she released four 12-inch singles in collaboration with producer Maurice Fulton. Murphy released her fifth and sixth solo albums Róisín Machine and Hit Parade, which received critical acclaim, in 2020 and 2023, respectively.
Róisín Marie Murphy was born in Arklow, County Wicklow, in the Republic of Ireland, on 5 July 1973. When she was 12 years old, Murphy and her family moved to Manchester, England. She embraced 1960s fashion, going with her mother, who was an antiques dealer, to car boot sales and charity shops. When she was 15, her parents divorced and her mother moved back to Ireland. Murphy chose to remain in England, not staying with her father but by herself, because she thought her mother did not have the strength to continue taking care of her. She lived with her best friend for a year until she could receive Housing Benefit and move into a nearby flat. Murphy's school years were difficult; in 2019 she said: "I never felt it was like being bullied; I always felt I intimidated people, and that was why I got in trouble". She befriended a group of "weird boys who wore black" and who listened to The Jesus and Mary Chain. Murphy was inspired to become a performer when she attended a Sonic Youth concert with a friend. She concealed her singing voice, not wanting other people to know she "sounded like Elaine Paige". Murphy later joined a post-punk band that split after a few performances. At the age of 17, Murphy enrolled in a sixth form college and later considered going to art school. At 19, she moved to Sheffield, where she began going to nightclubs and was inspired by the Vivienne Westwood designs she saw at Trash.
In 1994, Róisín Murphy met Mark Brydon at a party, using the chat-up line: "Do you like my tight sweater? See how it fits my body." Brydon took Murphy to his business Fon Studios, where he auditioned her voice on tape and liked her theatrical delivery. They began dating and formed Moloko, who were signed to Echo Records and released their debut album Do You Like My Tight Sweater? the following year. Heather Phares of AllMusic described the album as combining elements of trip hop and funk with electronic dance music, using a more-humorous approach than some of their contemporaries. The band's follow-up album I Am Not a Doctor covered similar musical ground, and a Boris Dlugosch remix of "Sing It Back" found international success, and was included on more than 110 compilation albums. Instead of paying Dlugosch, Murphy helped write "Never Enough", which reached number sixteen on the UK Singles Chart in June 2001. Moloko's third album Things to Make and Do was released in October 2000; they used more live instrumentation and arrangements by keyboardist Eddie Stevens. The album reached number three on the UK Albums Chart, and "The Time Is Now" became the band's most-successful British single, reaching number two. Murphy and Brydon broke up but were contractually obligated to deliver further albums. After the 2003 release of Statues, Brydon withdrew from much of the album's promotion so Murphy handled most of it.
No official statement about Moloko's future was issued but Murphy told Q magazine in May 2005: We left it on good terms after a very successful tour. We shook hands, said "see you later", and haven't spoken since. I don't know what Mark thinks of this record or what he's doing. I don't know if we will or we won't reunite. Myself, I don't not want to.
While still in Moloko, Murphy began doing solo work, which included contributions to the works of other artists, including Handsome Boy Modeling School and the "Never Enough" collaboration with Boris Dlugosch. In 2004, Murphy recorded her first official solo material with producer Matthew Herbert, who had previously remixed tracks for Moloko. Murphy wanted to work with Herbert again, commenting: "it felt very natural ... because Matthew makes things seem quicker and easier". Murphy and Herbert recorded a few songs and continued working together with support from her label Echo Records. When Murphy presented the label with the album, they found it odd and did not hear any songs that would make successful singles. The A&R division suggested Murphy make some changes to make it more radio-friendly. Murphy refused, stating she "wanted it to be as pure as possible". The label later supported her. Murphy released her debut solo album Ruby Blue in June 2005. Before the album's release, the tracks Sequins#1, Sequins#2 and Sequins#3 were made available on three limited-edition, vinyl-only releases featuring artwork by Simon Henwood, who also directed two video clips for the album's singles "If We're in Love" and "Sow into You". The album samples sounds made by everyday objects and actions, including cosmetics, brass mice, dancing and ornaments. It mixes the electronic music of Moloko with jazz and pop styles. Although the album was a commercial failure, it drew mainly positive reviews; Pitchfork Media called it "perfect, the ultimate combination of human warmth and technological know-how".
In May 2006, Murphy signed with EMI Records. "Overpowered", her first single for the label, was released on 2 July 2007. The single was written by Murphy and Paul Dolby (Seiji) of Bugz in the Attic, and mixed by Tom Elmhirst, and was accompanied by a series of remixes from Seamus Haji, Kris Menace, Hervé and Loose Cannons. A second single "Let Me Know", a collaboration with Andy Cato, was released in September and the album, named Overpowered, was released soon after. In September 2007, Murphy received a pre-nomination for the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Inter Act, but did not make it to the final list. She performed "Let Me Know" on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on 5 October 2007. Murphy sustained an eye injury on 27 October 2007, while on tour in Russia to promote Overpowered. She was forced to cancel several subsequent dates on the tour.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
