Bliss n Eso | |
|---|---|
 Bliss n Eso performing at Freshfest 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Bliss n' Esoterikizm |
| Origin | Sydney, Australia |
| Genres | Australian hip hop |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | |
| Members |
|
| Website | www |
Bliss n Eso (formerly known asBliss n' Esoterikizm[1]) are anAustralian hip hop trio based inSydney. The group consists of emcees Bliss and Eso, and DJ Izm, and they are currently signed to Melbourne record labelIllusive Sounds, and are managed and booked by label co-founders Adam Jankie andMatt Gudinski. Bliss n Eso have released seven studio albums which include three number 1 debuts on the ARIA Charts. They have also won twoARIA Awards for Best Urban Release for their 2008 albumFlying Colours and for Best Music Video for their 2017 single "Moments". Eso, under his aliasEsoterik, released an album entitled "My Astral Plane" in May 2018.
Bliss n Eso are a trio consisting ofAmerican Jonathan Notley (MC Bliss), Australian Max MacKinnon (MC Eso) andMoroccan/Berber Tarik Ejjamai (DJ Izm). Notley moved to Australia in 1992 when he was thirteen and met MacKinnon while attending St Marc’s Anglican School, in Northern Suburbs , Perth, Western Australia
"When I got to Australia, I met Eso (MacKinnon) and he was the only guy at my school into hip-hop. It was so scarce you'd be lucky to find a hip-hop record in a store let alone a whole section." – Jonathan "Bliss" Notley[2]
"Back then hip hop was basically non-existent; there was no urban or hip-hop section in the CD stores. You'd be lucky to find a couple of albums like aPublic Enemy album or something if you went to the CD stores. So I guess that's one of the reasons why Max, who's Eso, and I kinda bonded at high school, I think, because he was really the only other guy in the school who was into hip-hop." – Jonathan "Bliss" Notley[1]
MacKinnon later moved toMosman High School in New South Wales, where he met Ejjamai.[3] The group initially went by the name of Bliss n Esoterikizm, but that proved to be too much of a mouthful for most people, and thus was shortened.[1]
In 2000 they issued their first release, theEPThe Arrival, under the name Bliss n Esoterikizm,[4] which was followed by amixtape CD.[5]
Bliss n Eso released their debut album,Flowers in the Pavement, on Obese Records in 2004. Bliss n Eso were the winners in the Hip Hop category at the 2003 Music Oz Awards and nominees for Artist of the Year in 2004.[6][7]
In December 2005 the trio performed as a support act for50 Cent on hisGet Rich or Die Tryin' tour together withG-Unit andLil Jon.[8]
The group then switched labels toIllusive Sounds and released their second official album,Day of the Dog, on 4 March 2006. The album features production from Bliss, Weapon X,Suffa, and MC Motley, among others. It also features guest spots from British emcees MC Motley and Mystro,[9] as well as fellow Sydney MC,Hyjak.[6][10]Day of the Dog debuted at No. 45 on theARIA Albums Chart, making it the first Australian hip-hop release to debut in the top 50. The group undertook a national tour in March and April of that year to support the album.[11]Day of the Dog was then entirely remixed byGold Coast producerM-Phazes and released later that year asDay of the Dog: Phazed Out. The album was nominated for Best Urban Release at the2007 ARIA Awards;[12] the award was won by theHilltop Hoods forThe Hard Road: Restrung.
The group's third single, "Then Till Now", produced by Weapon X, contains elements from the sameRenee Geyer song used byHilltop Hoods on their track "Riding Under One Banner". It received airplay onTriple J,[13]rage[14] andVideo Hits.[citation needed] "Mad Tight", their fourth single, was played on radio stations Triple J,[15]3RRR,[16]PBS,[17] andFBi.[18] The music video was shown onrage.[19]
In 2007, Bliss n Eso played shows in the northwest of North America, including a performance at theWhistler 2007 Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival.
"We did a small run of the northwest states, around Portland area and then went up to Whistler in Canada and we did a sold out show in Whistler, which was unreal, to go all the way across the world and have a whole bunch of Aussies screaming at you" – Jonathan Notley[20]
In October 2007 they released the first single of their album, "Bullet and a Target", featuring the Connections Zulu Choir[21] (a 21 piece choir fromSouth Africa).[22] The song was recorded atJimmy Barnes' home studio in Sydney and reached No. 43 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[23] The track features a remixed version ofCitizen Cope's song by the same title. 100% of all profits from the sales of the song goes toThe Oaktree Foundation, Australia's only youth-run international aid and development organisation.[24]
Following up on their collaboration with the choir, Bliss n Eso embarked on a journey in June 2007 withMTV and the Oaktree Foundation to some of the poorest regions inSouth Africa to complete the track and shoot the video clip for "Bullet and a Target". Bliss n Eso also shot a documentary withEvermore, produced by MTV, aimed at creating awareness about the challenges faced by developing communities in Africa. The film clip and 30-minute documentary aired exclusively on MTV and received attention from the media and the public. The group was nominated for the 'Good Karma Award' for these efforts at the2008 MTV Video Music Awards.[25]
Bliss n Eso were one of the Australian hip hop artists featured in the documentaryWords from the City, which aired onABC Television in late 2007.[26]
The group's third album,Flying Colours, was released on 26 April 2008, coinciding with a national tour by the group, along withTrue Live,Funkoars and The Winnie Coopers.[27][28] The album debuted a week later at No. 10 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart,[29] and it remained in the ARIA Top 100 for the following 12 weeks. The album was nominated for aJ Award in August 2008,[30] and was also nominated for an ARIA award for Best Urban Release.[31]
In August 2008 Bliss n Eso performed at theSplendour in the Grass festival[3] and at the Trackside Festival inCanberra. In September they went on the road for their most successful national tour to date, with sell out performances across the country, concluding with a sold-out homecoming show at theEnmore Theatre in Sydney to a capacity crowd of 2500 patrons. They were scheduled to tour Canada at the end of the year and planned to re-releaseFlying Colours in early 2009, with a bonus DVD. The DVD was to contain a live performance from atThe Metro Theatre in Sydney.[20]
Bliss n Eso appeared for the first time in aTriple J Hottest 100 with three entries in the2008 countdown; "Eye of the Storm" at number 40, "The Sea is Rising" at number 61 and "Woodstock 2008" at number 94.[32][33] "Happy in My Hoody" failed to make the Hottest 100 but did come in at number 136.[34]
In 2009 the success of Bliss n Eso continued with theirFlying Colours album, which remained in the official ARIA charts for over a year. They also performed at theSound Relief concert in front of 82,000 people at Melbourne'sMCG on 14 March 2009. They were the only hip-hop act to perform at the concert, which raised over 8 million dollars forVictoria's bushfire victims.[35][36]
_(5356670918).jpg)
In April 2009, Bliss n Eso announced a major city Australian tour which included two shows at Melbourne's iconicFestival Hall as well as the largest venues they had played to date across the country. Their first show at Festival Hall sold out in four days, making it the fastest sellingAustralian hip hop show of all time, selling to a capacity of 5,100 patrons.
On 26 April 2009, Bliss n Eso became the first Australian hip hop act to perform onRove, where they performed "Woodstock 2008" and "The Sea is Rising" to a live television audience broadcast nationally on theTen Network.[37]
In May 2009 Bliss n Eso received two APRA award nominations in the category, 'Best Urban Works' for "The Sea is Rising" and "Woodstock 2008".[38] On 14 June "Flying Colours" became only the secondAustralian hip hop album to be certifiedgold, after being in theARIA Charts for 58 weeks.[37] The group's song "Field of Dreams" was included onEA Sports boxing video gameFight Night Round 4.[37]
"Basically, EA Australia can submit one track that's Australian for an international game. There hadn't been an Australian track on a release for a while actually and the 'Fight Night' opportunity came about and EA Australia really liked "Field of Dreams" and thought it worked well with the theme of the game, so they put it forward to the International EA and it got accepted! The fact that it's out there and a million people are going to be playing this thing – it's obviously a big game and the fact that our song's on there, we're stoked. It's pretty awesome, man!" – Jonathan Notley[39]
Bliss n Eso released their live albumFlying Colours Live in June 2009 to coincide with another national tour of Australia. The album features a bonus track, "On Tour", which received significant airplay fromTriple J. The album also includes a DVD, featuring their MTV nominated documentary,Out of Africa, and the group's live performance at Sydney'sMetro Theatre.[40] Following their national tour they planned to work on their fourth studio album, with producers M-Phazes and Hattori Hanzo.[20]
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(April 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
On 17 May 2010, Bliss n Eso released "Down by the River", the first single off their fourth studio album. On 30 July 2010, Bliss n Eso released their fourth studio album,Running on Air, which debuted at number one on the Australian ARIA charts. Shortly afterwards, Bliss n Eso embarked their sold-outDown By the River Australian tour.[41] The album was nominated for multiple awards, including the Triple J Album of the Year, Channel V Australian Artist of the Year award, Independent Music Award, APRA Awards and two ARIA awards.[citation needed]
In March 2012, the band embarked on their first ever headline tour of the US and Canada. Playing 22 shows across the West Coast of both countries in under a month, the band cemented themselves a position in the international hip-hop scene.[citation needed] In late 2012, Bliss n Eso commenced work on their fifth studio album. The album was recorded between Australia and Los Angeles. The album,Circus in the Sky debuted at Number 1 on the ARIA Album Chart and was certified platinum.[citation needed] Throughout April and May 2014, the trio embarked on their biggest national tour to date.[citation needed]
In late 2016, Bliss n Eso announced that their new album,Off the Grid would be released on 10 March 2017.[42] The album contained the two singles released in 2016, "Dopamine" and "Friend Like You".[43] On 27 March the tracklist forOff the Grid was released, featuring collaborations withDizzy Wright,Watsky,Mario,Gavin James, andLee Fields among others.[44] One day later, on 28 March, the single "Moments" was released, along with their tour announcement.[45]
On 23 January 2017, Johann Ofner, a professional stunt double was shot in the chest and killed during The Dreamers production of the music video for "Friend Like You" at the Brooklyn Standard, a bar in Eagle Lane,Brisbane, Australia.[46][47][48] After the incident, the group announced that "Off The Grid"'s release date would be moved to 28 April.[49]
Statement from the band "We continue to express our support and condolences to the family and friends of those so deeply affected by this sad event and appreciate your ongoing understanding in this incredibly difficult time."[50]
The coronial inquest determined that the stunt double was killed by thewad of ablank shotgun round that was not intended to be fired directly at anyone.[51]
On 16 June 2021, Bliss N Eso announced the release of their seventh studio album,The Sun. The album was proceeded by the singles "Lighthouse", "So Happy"/"Send It", "Good People" and "OG's".[52]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [53] | US Heat. [54] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Flowers in the Pavement |
| 46 [55] | — | |||||||||||||||||
| Day of the Dog |
| 45 | — | |||||||||||||||||
| Flying Colours |
| 10 | — | |||||||||||||||||
| Running on Air |
| 1 | — |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Circus in the Sky |
| 1 | 48 |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Off the Grid |
| 1 | — |
| ||||||||||||||||
| The Sun | 2 [60] | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Moon (The Light Side) |
| To be released | ||||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| The Arrival |
|
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [61] | Triple J [62] | ||||
| "Up Jumped the Boogie" | 2006 | 56 | — | Day of the Dog | |
| "Party at My Place" (featuring Motley) | — | — | |||
| "Then Till Now" | — | — | |||
| "Mad Tight" | — | — | |||
| "Coppin' It Sweet / Blazin'" | 2007 | — | — | ||
| "Bullet and a Target" (featuring Connections Zulu Choir) | 43 | — | Flying Colours | ||
| "Woodstock 2008" | 2008 | — | 94 | ||
| "The Sea Is Rising" (featuringJohn Butler Trio) | 80 | 61 |
| ||
| "Eye of the Storm" | 2009 | — | 40 | ||
| "Field of Dreams" | — | — | |||
| "On Tour" | 76 | 109 | Flying Colours Live | ||
| "Down by the River" | 2010 | 45 | 41 |
| Running on Air |
| "Addicted" | 38 | 23 |
| ||
| "Reflections" | 53 | 53 |
| ||
| "Family Affair" | 2011 | — | 174 |
| |
| "Coastal Kids" | — | — | |||
| "House of Dreams" | 2013 | 45 | 94 |
| Circus in the Sky |
| "Home Is Where the Heart Is" | 31 | 135 | |||
| "Reservoir Dogs" (featuringSeth Sentry,360,Pez andDrapht) | 96 | 123 |
| ||
| "Act Your Age" | 31 | 67 |
| ||
| "My Life" (featuring Ceekay Jones) | 26 | 167 |
| ||
| "I Am Somebody" (featuringNas) | 2014 | 80 | — |
| |
| "Dopamine" (featuring Thief)[67] | 2016 | 38 | 86 |
| Off the Grid |
| "Friend Like You" (featuringLee Fields)[68] | 85 | — | |||
| "Moments" (featuringGavin James) | 2017 | 25 | 53 |
| |
| "Blue" | — | — | |||
| "Coolin'" (featuringDizzy Wright and Rob Curly) | — | — |
| ||
| "Lighthouse" (featuring Jake Isaac)[70] | 2020 | — | — | The Sun | |
| "So Happy" (featuring Sonreal) / "Send It"[71] | — | — | |||
| "Good People" (featuringKasey Chambers)[72] | 2021 | —[A] | — | ||
| "OG's" (withChillinit)[52] | — | — | |||
| "Not Today"[74] | 2022 | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "OG's" (with Brisbane Symphony Orchestra)[75] | — | — | |||
| "Reflections" (with Brisbane Symphony Orchestra)[76] | — | — | |||
| "Pale Blue Dot" (with Brisbane Symphony Orchestra)[77] | — | — | |||
| "Friends Like You" (with Brisbane Symphony Orchestra) | — | — | |||
| "Hoops"[78] | 2023 | — | — | Mushroom: Fifty Years of Making Noise (Reimagined) | |
| "Feeling Fly"[79] | 2024 | — | — | The Moon (The Light Side) | |
| "Vacation"[80] | — | — | |||
| "Party on the Moon"[81] | 2025 | — | — | ||
| "Take Me Higher"[82] | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||
The Australian Independent Record Awards (known colloquially as theAIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Down By the River" | Best Independent Single / EP | Nominated | [84][85] |
| 2013 | Circus in the Sky | Best Independent Hip Hop / Urban Album | Nominated | [86][85] |
| 2018 | Off the Grid | Best Independent Hip Hop/Urban Album | Nominated | [87] |
TheAPRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by theAustralasian Performing Right Association (APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters".[88]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Woodstock 2008" | Best Urban Work | Nominated | |
| "Sea is Rising" | ||||
| 2010 | "On Tour" | Best Urban Work | Nominated | |
| 2011 | "Addicted" | Best Urban Work | Nominated | |
| "Down By the River" | ||||
| 2012 | "Reflections" | Best Urban Work | Nominated | |
| "Act Your Age" – Bliss n Eso featuring Bluejuice | Song of the Year | Shortlisted | [89] | |
| 2014 | "Act Yr Age" (featuringBluejuice) | Best Urban Work | Won | |
| "House of Dreams" | Nominated | |||
| 2015 | "My Life" | Best Urban Work | Nominated | |
| 2018 | "Moments" | Best Urban Work | Nominated | |
| 2019 | "Believe" | Best Urban Work | Nominated |
TheARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres ofAustralian music.[90]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "Up Jumped The Boogie" | Best Urban Release | Nominated | |
| 2007 | Day of the Dog: Phazed Out | Best Urban Release | Nominated | |
| 2008 | Flying Colours | Best Urban Release | Won | |
| 2010 | Running on Air | Best Urban Album | Nominated | |
| Flying Colours Live | Best Music DVD | |||
| 2013 | Circus in the Sky | Best Urban Album | Nominated | |
| Best Cover Art | ||||
| 2017 | "Moments" (featuringGavin James) | Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| "Moments" (directed by Allan Hardy and Tom MacDonald) | Best Video | Won | [91] |
TheEG Awards (known asMusic Victoria Awards since 2013) are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2006.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Themselves | Best Band | Won | [92][93] |
TheJ Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio stationTriple J. They commenced in 2005.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Flying Colours | Australian Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Running on Air | Australian Album of the Year | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Themselves | Good Karma Award | Won | |
| 2009 | Themselves | Best Independent Artist | Won |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Themselves | Best Urban Artist | Won | |
| 2004 | Won |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |