Jamiroquai is a pop band that has explored rock, jazz and electronic sounds. The band has existed for over a decade, during which it was highly influential in nineties acid jazz. Recently there have been reports that Jamiroquai is disbanding, but lead singer Jay Kay has said the band will resume its activities in a few months.
Jamiroquai was formed in England in the early nineties. There are nine current members (as of early 2007) and eleven former members. The core of the band is the duo of Jay Kay and Derrick McKenzie, the lead singer and the drummer. Jamiroquai's first success was in 1992 when their single "When You Gonna Learn?" got them signed to Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Sony has been the label for Jamiroquai since then, although Jay Kay has recently seemed exasperated with Sony and the practices of the modern music industry in general. The deal with Sony BMG was for eight albums, and Jamiroquai has continued to release their albums at a steady pace for the past decade.
They were at first only popular in the United Kingdom and Europe, with their major label debut "Emergency on Planet Earth" and 1994's "The Return of the Space Cowboy". In 1996, however, Jamiroquai became popular in the United States as well, with the hits "Virtual Insanity" and "Cosmic Girl" being released off of their third Sony album "Traveling Without Moving". "Virtual Insanity's music video won four of the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, for Breakthrough Video, Best Video, Best Special Effects and Best Cinematography. Jamiroquai has continued to release singles that have placed well on radio on both sides of the Atlantic, with songs like "Deeper Underground", "Canned Heat" and "Feels Just Like It Should".
As of early 2007 Jamiroquai's future seems somewhat in question, though Jay Kay says that the band will continue later in the year. Since finishing their contract with Sony, Jamiroquai has signed to Columbia Records. They have not yet released an album with their new label.