Pnau | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Sydney,New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1996 (1996)–present |
| Labels | Sony |
| Members | |
| Website | www |
Pnau, stylised asPNAU,[a] is an Australiandance music trio originating fromSydney. The trio, a duo before 2016, consists of the musiciansNick Littlemore (vocals, production),Peter Mayes (guitar, production)[3] andSam Littlemore (production), with the latter joining in 2016. Pnau first gained recognition through their 1999 debut albumSambanova, which later won anARIA Music Awards forBest Dance Release.[4][5] Their third album,Pnau (2007), brought them further critical acclaim and success.[6] Pnau is also recognised for a heavily publicised apprenticeship under the musicianElton John, who signed the duo after listening to thePnau album.[7] Several of Pnau's later projects have had John's involvement, such as the albumSoft Universe[8] and an album of Pnau recreations of Elton John's hits calledGood Morning to the Night.[9]
Apart from being a member of Pnau, Nick Littlemore also appears as one half of the projectEmpire of the Sun.[10][11][12] In November 2016, the new line-up released "Chameleon", the first single from their albumChanga.
Pnau formed in Sydney,New South Wales by Littlemore and Mayes. The two met at secondary school at the age of 12 and began performing together in the mid-1990s, initially playingacid,house music, andtrance music.[3] Littlemore recalled meeting Mayes when he was 10; "He tripped me over. We hated each other for a couple years and then we started sneaking out and going to raves when we were about 13 and we formed a bond over intense music." Littlemore and Mayes created their first album when they were in their mid-teens. "It was called Fractal Geometric Spaces Made of Light," Littlemore remembers, "Which is probably why it was never picked up."[13]
The duo's first commercially available tracks were a pair of nine-minute tracks, "Frisk" and "Anthropophagi", that led offdoof@cybersonic.aust.com – an undergroundacid trance compilation album distributed by cult electronic labelCreative Vibes in 1996.[14] Pnau would then feature on another Creative Vibes project, 1998's compilation recordEvolutionary Vibes III: The Evolution Will Not Be Televised, with the song "Discone".[15]
In July 1999, Pnau released their debut albumSambanova under the independentlabel Peking Duck. It was recorded in a bedroom studio and they state they only expected it to sell "a few thousand copies".[16] The album was pulled from record stores for using unclearedsamples, but re-released in June 2000 and peaked inside theARIA top 40. In October 2000, at theARIA Music Awards of 2000, the album wonBest Dance Release. In a 2003 interview withThe Age, Mayes said that they had no understanding of sample clearances due to their naïveté in the music business.[17] Mayes claimed that the album's recall did seriously affect their commercial sales.[17] Littlemore later contested, "They screwed us over for $300,000. Warners didn't; another third party did. But that happens. We're still here, we're still doing it."[18]
Pnau went on to make many live appearances at music festivals likeBig Day Out in 2001 andHomebake in 2002. During this time, they garnered a reputation for their lively performances.[19]
In October 2003, Pnau released their second studio album,Again.[20] The album was not a commercial success and Littlemore was later quoted asAgain being "the worst record I've ever done".[21] Littlemore has since retracted the statement. When asked if he still consideredAgain to be his worst record, Littlemore responded, "Well next toSoft Universe. They're sort of on par." Littlemore further explained that his opinions are influenced by the albums' commercial success, which is an easy headspace for him to get into since "everyone lovesEmpire of the Sun, it's sold 1.1 million records."[18] Despite the seemingly unfavourable album response, several tracks received considerable acclaim - the most noteworthy being "We Love the Fresh Kills" which was a significantly popular single for the duo at the time.[6] However, because ofAgain's lackluster success the pair parted ways for some time to work with other artists such asRobbie Williams,[21]Van She,[22] andLost Valentinos.[23]
In 2007, the duo reunited and wrote over two-hundred songs together and started to lay down an entire album with Littlemore's brother Sam as producer. They sent a work-in-progress track to long-time friend and collaboratorLuke Steele, who sent back the track with his own vocals. After receiving the track, the Littlemore brothers and Mayes agreed to scrap almost everything they had laid down to focus on a more vocally centred album.[24] The track became known as "With You Forever" and the finalised album was released under the self-titled namePnau. The album not only featured vocal work from Steele and Littlemore, but also had many guest appearances such asLadyhawke,Feadz, Nik Yannika from Lost Valentinos and Michael DeFrancesco from Van She.[25] The album was released to high critical acclaim[6] and gained unexpected favorable attention from John,[7][26][27][28] declaring it to be the greatest record he'd heard in ten years.[29][30]
Inspired by their track "With You Forever", Pnau began work on a collaboration with Steele, which would call themselvesEmpire of the Sun.[31] Originally titled Steelemore,[28] Empire of the Sun released its debut single in August 2008 titled "Walking on a Dream" and its debut album in October 2008 withWalking on a Dream. Littlemore and Steele took the roles of bandmates, while Mayes assumed the role of producer. Some critics were quick to note that the band sounded more like a work of Pnau than Steele's bandThe Sleepy Jackson.[32] Empire of the Sun has achieved international success having been certified 2× Platinum in Australia[10] and gold in the United Kingdom,[11] as well as winning eleven ARIA awards.[12] PNAU makes it clear on their Myspace numerous times that not only is Empire of the Sun a side project of theirs, but that they are also the producers.[33] Regarding Empire of the Sun, in early 2009 news began appearing that Littlemore had disappeared.[34][35] The reality had been that Nick Littlemore had left Empire of the Sun to begin work on the fourth Pnau album along with John.[8]
In 2010, Pnau's track "Baby" (remixed by Breakbot) appeared in the release of Sony Computer Entertainment's "Gran Turismo 5", in the Background Music (BGM) playlist.
In February 2011, Pnau released "The Truth", the lead single from their forthcoming fourth studio album,Soft Universe.Soft Universe was released in June 2011 and peaked at number 13 on the ARIA Charts. Littlemore has described it as a very "emotional" album, inspired by the breakup with his long-time girlfriend.[36] With input from John, the album features Littlemore singing all the vocals on the album along with tracks co-written with fellow Aussie artist Martin Craft and producerMark Saunders.[37] The album was positively received, although mainly critics expressed discontent with the lack of the "endearing weirdness of previous Pnau and Empire releases."[38] TheSoft Universe album received theAustralian Independent Record (AIR) Award for Best Independent Dance/Electronica Album.[39]
On 10 March 2012, the first remix track from the anticipated, upcoming John rework album commissioned for Pnau was leaked, initially airing on Pete Tong's BBC Radio 1 broadcast.[40] In July 2012 two singles were released from the album, "Good Morning to the Night" and "Sad", while the albumGood Morning to the Night was released and reaching number 1 on theUK Albums Chart.[41]
In November 2013 French duoFaul & Wad Ad released "Changes" credited to, vs Pnau. The song samples Pnau's "Baby" and reached the top ten in numerous countries across Europe.
In November 2016, Pnau released "Chameleon" as the lead single from the upcoming fifth studio album. The song peaked at number 4 on theARIA Charts and was certified 4× platinum. At theARIA Music Awards of 2017, the song won the groups their secondARIA Award for Best Dance Release.Changa was released in November 2017 and peaked at number 11 on the ARIA Charts. The album spawned two more singles "Go Bang" and "Changa". At theARIA Music Awards of 2018, "Go Bang" won the group's third ARIA Award for Best Dance Release.
The band released the single "Solid Gold" on 2 May 2019. The song continues Pnau's collaboration with Kira Divine on vocals, and also features additional vocals by Marques Toliver. The band hosted a live chat on their Facebook page to support the release. In August 2019, the band released the single "All of Us".[42] In December 2020, the band worked withLadyhawke again and released the single "River".
In August 2021, Pnau produced a remix medley of several John songs along withDua Lipa, titled "Cold Heart (Pnau remix)". The single charted in many countries worldwide, becoming their 3rd top 10 in Australia and their second in the UK, as well as their first song to chart in the US. Over the next few years, Pnau released singles withBudjerah,Troye Sivan,Khalid,Bebe Rexha andOzuna.
In October 2023, Pnau released ""AEIOU"" withEmpire of the Sun and announced the titled of their sixth studio album,Hyperbolic, scheduled for release in March 2024.[43]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [44] | NZ [44] | ||||||||||||||||
| Sambanova |
| 39 | 48 | ||||||||||||||
| Again |
| — | — | ||||||||||||||
| Pnau |
| 31 | — | ||||||||||||||
| Soft Universe |
| 13 | — | ||||||||||||||
| Changa |
| 11 | — | ||||||||||||||
| Hyperbolic |
| — | — | ||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes an album that did not chart or was not released. | |||||||||||||||||
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [44] | UK [41] | ||
| Good Morning to the Night (Elton John and Pnau) |
| 40 | 1 |
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [44] | CAN | FRA [46] | GER [47] | ITA [48] | NED [49] | NZ [50] | SPA [51] | SWI [52] | UK [41] | ||||||||
| 2000 | "Need Your Lovin' Baby" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Sambanova | |||||
| 2001 | "Follow Me" | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 2002 | "Blood Lust" | —[A] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Again | |||||
| "Una Noche (Get Up)" (with Kid Creole and the Coconuts) | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||||||
| 2004 | "Again" | —[B] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Again | |||||
| 2005 | "Enuffs Enuff" | —[C] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 2007 | "Wild Strawberries"[53] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pnau | |||||
| 2008 | "Baby" | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Embrace" | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| 2011 | "The Truth"[54] | —[D] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Soft Universe | |||||
| "Solid Ground"[56] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| 2012 | "Unite Us"[57] | —[E] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | —[F] | ||||||
| "Everybody" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Good Morning to the Night" (with Elton John) | 71 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Good Morning to the Night | ||||||
| "Sad" (with Elton John) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 48 | |||||||
| 2013 | "Changes" (Faul & Wad Ad vs. Pnau) | — | 71 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 15 | — | 2 | 4 | 3 | Changa (Deluxe) | |||||
| 2016 | "Chameleon" | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 34 | — | — | — | Changa | |||||
| 2017 | "Go Bang" | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| |||||
| 2018 | "Changa" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 2019 | "Solid Gold" (featuring Kira Divine and Marques Toliver) | 94 | — | — | — | — | — | —[G] | — | — | — |
| Hyperbolic | ||||
| "All of Us" (featuring Ollie Gabriel)[68] | — | — | — | — | — | — | —[H] | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||||||
| 2020 | "Lucky" (with Vlossom)[70] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "River" (withLadyhawke) | — | — | — | — | — | — | —[I] | — | — | — | Hyperbolic | ||||||
| 2021 | "Stranger Love" (withBudjerah)[72] | — | — | — | — | — | — | —[J] | — | — | Non-album single | ||||||
| 2022 | "You Know What I Need" (withTroye Sivan) | — | — | — | — | — | — | —[K] | — | — | — | Hyperbolic | |||||
| 2023 | "The Hard Way" (withKhalid)[75] | — | — | — | — | — | 34 | —[L] | — | — | |||||||
| "Stars" (withBebe Rexha andOzuna)[77] | — | — | — | — | — | — | —[M] | — | — | ||||||||
| "AEIOU" (withEmpire of the Sun)[43] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| 2024 | "All Your Energy" (featuring Ollie Gabriel) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |||||
| "Nostalgia"[79] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hyperbolic | ||||||
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||||
Notes
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | "Young Melody" (featuringVera Blue)[80] | Changa |
| "Into the Sky"[80] | ||
| "Control Your Body"[80] |
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [44] | CAN | FRA | GER | NED | NZ [81] | SWE | UK [41] | US [82] | WW [83] | ||||
| 2021 | "Cold Heart (Pnau remix)" (with Elton John andDua Lipa) | 1 [84] | 1 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 3 | The Lockdown Sessions | |
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally asAIR 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Soft Universe | Best Independent Dance/Electronic Album | Won | [92][93] |
| "Solid Ground" | Best Independent Dance/Electronic Single | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | Changa | Best Independent Dance/Electronic Album | Won | [94][93] |
| "Go Bang" | Best Independent Dance/Electronic Single | Won | ||
| 2020 | "Solid Gold" | Nominated | [95] | |
| 2021 | "River" (featuring Ladyhawke) | Best Independent Dance, Electronica or Club Single | Nominated | [96][97] |
| 2022 | "Stranger Love" (withBudjerah) | Nominated | [98][99] | |
| 2023 | "You Know What I Need" (withTroye Sivan) | Nominated | [100] | |
| 2024 | Pnau | Independent Producer of the Year | Nominated | [101] |
TheARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony held by theAustralian Recording Industry Association. They commenced in 1987. Pnau have won 3 awards from 17 nominations.[102]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Sambanova | Best Dance Release | Won |
| 2008 | Pnau | Nominated | |
| "Baby" (James Littlemore) | Best Video | Nominated | |
| 2011 | Soft Universe | Best Dance Release | Nominated |
| 2017 | "Chameleon" | Won | |
| Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | Changa | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| "Go Bang" | Best Group | Nominated | |
| Best Dance Release | Won | ||
| Best Independent Release | Nominated | ||
| Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Toby Pike andNick Littlemore - Pnau "Go Bang" | Best Video | Nominated | |
| Pnau Changa Australian Tour | Best Australian Live Act | Nominated | |
| 2019 | "Solid Gold" | Best Dance Release | Nominated |
| Clemens Habicht - "Solid Gold" | Best Video | Nominated | |
| 2020 | Imogen Grist, Nick Littlemore for "Lucky" (featuring Vlossom) | Nominated | |
| All of Us Australian Tour | Best Australian Live Act | Nominated | |
| 2023[103] | "You Know What I Need" (with Troy Sivan) | Best Dance/Electronic Release | Nominated |
TheAPRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by theAustralasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | "Chameleon" | Dance Work of the Year | Nominated |
| Most Played Australian Work | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | "Go Bang" | Dance Work of the Year | Nominated |
| Most Played Australian Work | Nominated | ||
| 2020[104][105] | "Solid Gold" | Most Performed Dance Work of the Year | Nominated |
| 2021[106] | "All of Us" (featuring Ollie Gabriel) | Nominated | |
| 2022[107] | "River" (featuring Ladyhawke) | Nominated | |
| 2024[108] | "You Know What I Need"(featuring Troye Sivan) | Most Performed Dance/Electronic Work | Nominated |
TheBerlin Music Video Awards is a festival that promotes the art of music videos.
| Year | Nominee/Work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | You Know What I Need | Best Experimental | Nominated |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007[109] | Pnau | Australian Album of the Year | Nominated |
TheMTV Europe Music Awards is an award presented byViacom International Media Networks to honour artists and music inpop culture.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017[110] | themselves | Best Australian Act | Nominated |
TheNational Live Music Awards (NLMAs) commenced in 2016 to recognise contributions to the live music industry in Australia.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019[111][112] | Pnau | Live Electronic Act (or DJ) of the Year | Nominated |
TheRolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually in January or February by theAustralian edition ofRolling Stone magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year.[113]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Pnau | Rolling Stone Global Award | Nominated | [114] |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
