Jamiroquai are an English funk and acid jazz band formed in London in 1992 and led throughout their career by singer-songwriter Jay Kay. The group emerged from the early 1990s London acid jazz scene, combining jazz harmony, soul vocals, funk bass lines, disco, electronic dance music and elements of world music. Their name joins "jam" with a variation of Iroquois, reflecting Kay's interest in Native American culture and philosophies.
Kay initially attracted attention with the environmentally themed song "When You Gonna Learn?" After signing with Acid Jazz Records, he assembled a live band around his songs. The single became a club and radio success, and its momentum led to a major recording agreement with Sony. Jamiroquai's debut album, Emergency on Planet Earth, arrived in 1993 and went straight to number one in the United Kingdom. Its socially conscious lyrics and richly arranged mixture of funk, soul, reggae, jazz and didgeridoo established the band's musical identity. "Too Young to Die" and "Blow Your Mind" became early British hits.
The second album, The Return of the Space Cowboy (1994), expanded the band's reputation. Its longer, more intricate arrangements were driven by the interplay between Kay's vocals, Toby Smith's keyboards, Stuart Zender's bass and the rhythm section. Songs such as "Space Cowboy" and "Half the Man" showed that Jamiroquai could move between political themes, romantic writing and dance-floor grooves without abandoning their live-band character.
Jamiroquai reached their largest international audience with Travelling Without Moving (1996). The album included "Virtual Insanity", "Cosmic Girl" and "Alright", while its cover introduced the stylized buffalo logo that became closely associated with the group. The "Virtual Insanity" video, directed by Jonathan Glazer, used a moving-floor illusion and striking choreography to create one of the most recognizable music videos of the decade. It won Video of the Year at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, and the song later earned Jamiroquai a Grammy Award. Travelling Without Moving was also recognized by Guinness World Records as the best-selling funk album in history.
The group continued its commercial run with Synkronized (1999), a more streamlined record that incorporated house and hi-NRG influences. Its single "Canned Heat" became one of the band's signature dance tracks. Around this period, bassist Stuart Zender departed following tensions within the group, and Nick Fyffe took over on later recordings. "Deeper Underground", recorded for the Godzilla soundtrack, gave Jamiroquai their first UK number one single in 1998.
A Funk Odyssey (2001) embraced disco, Latin rhythms and polished electronic production, producing the hits "Little L" and "You Give Me Something". After founding keyboardist and principal songwriting partner Toby Smith left, Jamiroquai issued Dynamite (2005), which balanced electronic textures with the band's established funk sound. The compilation High Times: Singles 1992-2006 summarized their first major-label era.
After moving through further lineup changes, Jamiroquai returned with Rock Dust Light Star (2010), an album that emphasized organic playing and the energy of their live performances. Automaton (2017), their eighth studio album, introduced a more contemporary electronic palette while retaining the band's melodic and rhythmic trademarks. The album reached number four in the UK.
Jamiroquai have sold more than 26 million albums worldwide and remain one of Britain's most successful funk-oriented acts. Although Jay Kay is the band's public face, the project has always depended on a rotating ensemble of musicians whose bass, keyboard, percussion, guitar, horn and electronic contributions shape its sound. In February 2026, Jamiroquai signed a global recording deal with BMG for their forthcoming ninth studio album, beginning another chapter in a career that has connected acid jazz with mainstream pop for more than three decades.