Illy

Australian rapper Illy crafts clever, pop-tinged hip-hop that has delivered him platinum certifications and ARIA honors. After two albums that stirred early attention, he achieved his breakthrough with Bring It Back in 2012, which entered the Australian Top 20 and earned the ARIA Award for Best Urban Album. His first major-label outing arrived the next year with Cinematic, which climbed to the Australian Top Five. Maintaining a steady partnership with producer M-Phazes, Illy keeps merging pop hooks with introspective material on isolation and personal development, a mix that sent both Two Degrees in 2016 and The Space Between in 2021 to number one in Australia. Good Life followed in 2024 and again placed him inside the ARIA Top Ten.

Born Alasdair Murray in 1986 and raised in the Melbourne beachside suburb of Frankston, Illy spent his teenage years as a restless troublemaker who barely finished school. He first tried his hand at hip-hop at age 13 alongside the local Crooked Eye Crew, releasing his initial mixtape CD with the group. A string of low-wage jobs followed before he committed to serious study, eventually completing a law degree. Once the Crooked Eye Crew disbanded as members turned to individual pursuits, Illy launched a solo career.

He joined the Obese label and issued his debut solo album, Long Story Short, in 2009. From the start his style centered on sturdy melodic hooks and a relaxed, drawling sing-rap delivery. The record performed well on the urban chart yet made no impact on the broader pop listings. Still, extensive national touring built his profile, and the follow-up The Chase, released the next year, fared better, reaching number 25 on the main chart.

Bring It Back in 2012 marked his commercial arrival, debuting at number 15 and bringing an ARIA Award for best urban album. After leaving Obese he founded his own imprint, OneTwo, and secured a licensing arrangement with Warner Music.

Cinematic, his fourth album, appeared the following year. Much of it was helmed by former Crooked Eye Crew associate M-Phazes, by then an established producer who had supplied beats for Eminem among others. The project leaned further toward pop as Illy expanded his songwriting range and included guest vocalists such as the Hilltop Hoods, Drapht, Daniel Merriweather, and Scarlett Stevens. It reached number four on the ARIA chart and attained gold status.

Success continued with Two Degrees in 2016. His most pop-focused effort to that point, the album topped the Australian chart and yielded his biggest single yet, the number-two hit “Papercuts” featuring Vera Blue. Again produced by M-Phazes, it also included Rudimental’s Anne-Marie on “Catch 22” and received six ARIA Award nominations.

The Space Between, his sixth album, returned him to the top of the Australian charts in 2021. Originally planned for 2020 but postponed by COVID-19, the M-Phazes-produced set found Illy adopting a more personal stance, addressing isolation, mental health, and emotional growth on tracks such as “Loose Ends,” “Mirror,” and “I Myself & Me.” Guest spots came from G Flip, Wrabel, Guy Sebastian, and others, while M-Phazes earned an ARIA nomination for Producer of the Year.

A seventh album, Good Life, appeared in November 2024. Alongside M-Phazes it featured production from Cam Bluff, Johnny Took, Xavier Dunn, and Styalz Fuego, among others. Celebrating resilience amid hardship, the record spawned the singles “Stubborn,” “Good Life,” and “Kids” featuring Sofia Reyes, and it peaked at number four on the ARIA charts.