His mother is an American hula dancer from Oahu, Hawaii and his father is New Zealand Māori brass player and Elam School of Fine Arts alumni, Chris Nielson, who toured with lounge singer John Rowles in the 1970s and has played in New Zealand bands such as Katchafire. Nielson was born in Darwin, Australia on 20 February 1980. NME has summed up Nielson as a master in creating 'works of warm, fuzzy beauty.' Nielson remains humble and jocular, saying in response to being described as a musical provocateur 'No, I don't purposefully go out to try and do that.but it is really fun.' Biography Early life He has become a symbol of the rejuvenation of psychedelic music in Australasia, alongside the likes of Tame Impala, Connan Mockasin, LEISURE and Pond. Nielson continues to live in the United States with his family. Two more acclaimed albums, Sex + Food, and the instrumental IC-01 Hanoi, followed in 2018. Singles 'Multi-Love' and 'Can't Keep Checking My Phone' were both A-listed at BBC's 6 Music. Nielson's global breakthrough album is considered to be the multi-award winning third effort Multi-Love, which made it high onto lists by The Guardian, NME and Consequence of Sound for the best albums of 2015.

Further success came with II, released in 2013, and the group began selling out shows across North America. The album won the Taite music prize the following year. Nielson achieved critical acclaim and success worldwide with the band's self-titled debut album Unknown Mortal Orchestra, released in 2011. His brother Kody also has performed drums on almost every Unknown Mortal Orchestra album.

Nielson subsequently attempted to quit music, but he found himself increasingly passionate about it, and formed a more experimental and psychedelic band, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, with musician Jake Portrait.

The band, known for its nihilistic ideology, disorderly behaviour, neo-punk elements and groundbreaking discography, broke up following Ruban's departure. The four members met at Orewa College, although the band started moving between Portland, Oregon, where Nielson would later be based, and Auckland. Nielson attended Elam, and graduated in 2002 as a recipient of the Sir James Wallace art award, one year after forming The Mint Chicks with Paul Roper, Michael Logie and his brother Kody Nielson. One of the most acclaimed New Zealand musicians of his generation, he has won two Aotearoa music awards and an APRA Silver Scroll, over the course of his band's five studio albums and one extended play.īorn in Darwin, Australia, to a Hawaiian mother and a Māori father, Nielson was raised in Orewa, Auckland in a musical family. Ruban Nielson (born 20 February 1980) is a New Zealand musician, singer and songwriter, best known for being the frontman of the psychedelic rock band Unknown Mortal Orchestra.

Unknown mortal orchestra