Empire of the Sun

dance-pop · electronic rock · new wave

Empire of the Sun is an Australian electronic duo formed in 2007 by Luke Steele of the Sleepy Jackson and Nick Littlemore of Pnau. The two met in Sydney around 2000 and began writing together in the mid-2000s. Their 2008 debut Walking on a Dream, issued through Capitol, was certified double platinum in Australia and gold in the United Kingdom; the title track reached the top ten on the ARIA singles chart, and We Are the People charted in Britain before topping the German chart in 2010 after being used in a television commercial. At the 2009 ARIA Music Awards the record drew eleven nominations, more than any other artist that year, and won seven awards including Album of the Year. Ice on the Dune followed in 2013, Two Vines in 2016 and Ask That God in 2024, the last through EMI Australia and Capitol. The project is defined as much by its visual world as by its records: Steele fronts the live show in elaborate headdresses and robes drawing on samurai imagery and digital art, backed by dancers and large-scale projected graphics built around the band's science-fiction mythology, while Littlemore has not consistently toured with the group. They have played Glastonbury, Rock Werchter, Lollapalooza, Coachella in 2014 and the Hollywood Bowl in 2015, with earlier festival appearances at Parklife and Future Music. Outside the duo, its members have appeared on Mac Miller's The Spins, contributed to WZRD, remixed Lady Gaga's Applause, recorded AEIOU with Pnau in 2023, and featured Lindsey Buckingham on the 2025 song Somebody's Son. Their music has been heavily licensed, turning up in the FIFA video game series, film soundtracks and technology and automotive advertising, which helped keep Walking on a Dream in circulation long after its release.

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