Blur frontman Damon Albarn has revealed that he took his teenage daughter on a family holiday to North Korea to teach her about the world. Speaking on the Adam Buxton podcast, the 57-year-old musician said he wanted his daughter Missy, now 26, to see the reclusive country run by dictator Kim Jong-un so that she could gain a better understanding of different cultures.
Family Holiday to North Korea
'I'm guilty of making life too easy for my children in some ways, but I've also been very hard on my daughter in terms of culture and education. We go on family holidays to North Korea,' the singer said. He added that he hoped taking his daughter to an extreme holiday destination would bring some advantages, saying: 'Maybe she's more politically aware than a lot of people in her generation. Actually, I know that, because she's always telling me how frustrated she is when no one seems to care what's happening.'
Inspiration for Music
Albarn visited North Korea in 2013, a trip that he says heavily influenced his work and went on to inspire the song 'Pyongyang' on Blur's 2015 album 'The Magic Whip.' He described some of the controversies surrounding the nation as 'bulls**t', saying, 'I can best describe it as a magical kingdom in the sense that everyone is under a spell. Everywhere you go, you're reminded of the Kim family. They are truly omnipresent.'
Life Under the Spell
'But apart from that, North Korea is full of normal people just existing under this mad spell. It is a fascinating place,' Albarn added. He also said that the people he interacted with were 'really nice, genuine human beings.' Visiting the communist state comes with several restrictions that North Korea has typically imposed on foreign travellers, such as requirements that they move with local guides and the banning of photography at sensitive places.
Personal Life
Albarn shares his daughter Missy with former partner Suzi Winstanley. The couple split in 2023 after 25 years together. He rose to fame in the 1990s and was widely regarded as a key architect of the Britpop movement during his time as the frontman of Blur. Notably, much of Damon's success was sparked by the chart rivalry between his band Blur and Oasis, a row dubbed The Battle of Britpop. In 1998, he founded the major virtual band Gorillaz alongside illustrator Jamie Hewlett.
Recent Controversy
Earlier this year, Albarn raised eyebrows when he confronted Graham Norton during his appearance on the presenter's chat show. The singer was performing with Gorillaz when he joined Adrian Lester, Leo Woodall, Stephen Graham and Kaley Cuoco on the famous sofa for a post-show chat. While promoting the band's upcoming tour, Damon called out Graham about his lack of appearances on the show, prompting awkward laughter from the fellow guests.
