Empire of the Sun

Australia's larger-than-life electro-glam-pop duo Empire of the Sun features the Sleepy Jackson's Luke Steele and Pnau's Nick Littlemore. Best known in the mainstream for their hit single "Walking on a Dream," they made their debut in 2008 with an album of the same name. Sophomore follow-up Ice on the Dune brought them an even larger global audience, becoming their highest-charting effort. After the release of 2016's lush Two Vines, Steele and Littlemore focused their attention outside the project, returning nearly a decade later for 2024's Ask That God.

Leading up to their formation, Steele had previously worked with Pnau on "With You Forever," a track from the band's 2007 self-titled third album. The pair enjoyed collaborating so much that they started their own project, drawing inspiration from the likes of Phoenix and Daft Punk. In fall 2008, Empire of the Sun released their debut album, Walking on a Dream, which the musicians described as "a spiritual road movie." Featuring songs co-written by Pnau's other half, Peter Mayes, the album went platinum in Australia and the title track became a hit single across the globe (even topping the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart nearly a decade after release when it was used in an American car advertisement).

After time spent touring -- and a period when Littlemore took a short hiatus from the group to write music for Cirque du Soleil -- the duo regrouped in the studio to work on their second album. 2013's sublime disco-pop Ice on the Dune featured the multi-platinum hit single "Alive," as well as a guest appearance by Daniel Johns (Silverchair) on "Celebrate." Steele took to the road soon after, touring the world as "Alive" climbed the charts. In late 2014, two new songs, "Tonight" and "Wandering Star," appeared on the soundtrack to the movie Dumb and Dumber To. They spent a large chunk of the next year writing and recording their third album in Los Angeles and Hawaii, welcoming guests like Lindsey Buckingham, members of David Bowie's band from the Blackstar sessions, and Wendy Melvoin from Prince & the Revolution. Two Vines was issued in October 2016, climbing into the Australian Top Ten and peaking just outside the Billboard Top 50. A year later, they released the On Our Way Home EP, which featured the title track plus additional B-sides and remixes.

In 2019, the duo marked the tenth anniversary of their breakthrough debut with a special edition reissue that was packaged with a new song, "Chrysalis." In the years that followed, Steele issued his debut studio album, Listen to the Water, and Littlemore stayed busy with Pnau, scoring a massive hit with the Elton John/Dua Lipa "Cold Heart" remix, which topped the charts in over a dozen countries. In 2023, Littlemore pulled double duty, merging both Pnau and Empire of the Sun projects on the former's single "AEIOU." The following year, Empire of the Sun officially returned with their single "Changes." Their fourth album -- and first in almost a decade -- arrived in July 2024. Ask That God included additional singles "Cherry Blossom" and "Music on the Radio." ~ Heather Phares