Girls and boys who remember the heady days of Blur vs Oasis in the Battle of Britpop, or have benefitted from their continued popularity in the indie scene, will be keen to hear what the singer and frontman has been up to, from a new single for War Child to digital work on the Gorillaz.
If you're avoiding all work (there's none available) take the time to catch up with frontman Damon Albarn, his only child and what's he's up to now.
© Getty ImagesDamon Albarn and the boys from Blur famously outsold Oasis in 1995
Who is Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn was born in Whitechapel on 23 March 1968. He is best known as the frontman of '90s rock band Blur, who famously won the Battle of Britpop against Oasis in 1995, and as co-founder of virtual band Gorillaz.
© Getty ImagesDamon comes from a talented creative family, both of his parents having pursued practical art
East London upbringing
Until he was nine years old, Damon lived with his parents, artist Keith Albarn and set designer Hazel in Leytonstone, east London.
They relocated to Aldham, near Colchester, and the artist recalled to The Guardian how unprepared he was for feeling out of place, like an "outsider" in the "Anglo-Saxon, grey, conservative world". Luckily, it wasn't too long before he met Blur guitarist, Graham Coxon, at a local comprehensive.
© Getty ImagesNicknamed the Battle of Britpop, Blur beat Oasis to the number one spot in 1995
Blur's Nineties stardom
Blur is best known for its '90s heyday, producing beloved tracks like Parklife, Girls & Boys and Song 2. They were made up of frontman Damon, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James, and drummer Dave Rowntree.
Blur famously beat Oasis to number one in 1995, the rivalry being billed as the Battle of Britpop. Both bands were releasing a single on August 14th and fans were either backing Oasis' 'Roll With It' or Blur's 'Country House' for the number one spot.
© WireImageGorillaz is a well-known and well-loved virtual band of four
Digital sensation Gorillaz
Originating in 1998, virtual band Gorillaz was created by Damon and artist Jamie Hewlett and is made up of four 'members': 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle and Russel Hobbs
Their best known tracks include 'Feel Good Inc', 'Clint Eastwood' and 'DARE', which reached UK number one in 2005. The band keeps fans updated via music videos, interviews, comics and cartoons.
© Sygma via Getty ImagesDamon dated Elastica's Justine Frischmann between 1991 and 1998
Personal life
The Blur frontman dated Justine Frischmann, of Elastica rock band fame, from 1991 to 1998. After they split, he dated artist Suzi Winstanley from 1998 to 2023; they welcomed daughter Missy in 1999.
He and Suzi parted ways after 25 years. Suzi still works as an artist with collaborative partner Olly, tracking, painting and photographing endangered animals in the wild.
© Getty ImagesMissy is Damon's only daughter from his previous relationship with Suzi
Daughter Missy
Missy, born in 1999 and named after rapper Missy Elliott, is Damon's only child. She studied fashion design at university and set up an online shop with her designs called House of Saltman.
In 2022, Missy laughingly banned her father from social media, grabbing his phone when he tried to open a personal Instagram. Damon told The Changes podcast he's under a lot of 'scrutiny' from Missy, who told him he'd be a 'disaster' on social media.
© WWD via Getty ImagesDamon hasn't slowed down since his days with Blur
What he's doing now
The Blur singer is still working in music today and recently released a track for War Child with Grian Chatten and Kae Tempest entitled 'Flags'.
He's also been keeping busy with Gorillaz as the band released a new album Mountains in February 2026 and as of March 2026, are on an international tour.
