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Born | Daniel Paul Johns 22 April 1979 Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia |
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Years active | 1992–present |
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Daniel Paul Johns (born 22 April 1979) is an Australian musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the frontman, guitarist, and main songwriter of the rock band Silverchair. Johns is also one half of The Dissociatives with Paul Mac and one half of Dreams with Luke Steele. On March 13, 2015 Johns released his first solo EP Aerial Love and on March 22, 2015, he released his first solo LP Talk in 2015. Johns' second solo album FutureNever was released on 22 April 2022.
In 2007, Johns was ranked at number 18 on Rolling Stone 's list of The 25 Most Underrated Guitarists. [1] Johns has won 21 ARIA Awards from 49 nominations as a member of Silverchair, [2] and has earned four other nominations as a solo artist. [3]
Johns was born on 22 April 1979 [4] to Greg and Julie Johns. [5] His father owned a fruit shop in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, and his mother was a full-time homemaker. [6] [7] He grew up in Merewether, with two younger siblings. [8]
Johns attended Newcastle High School, [9] from which he graduated in 1997. [10]
At the age of 12, Johns and school friends Ben Gillies and Chris Joannou formed a band, originally named "The Innocent Criminals", and practiced daily after school for periods of four hours or more. [8] [11]
The band's career began when the three members were 15 years old when a demo recording of their song "Tomorrow" won a competition that was run by the SBS TV programme Nomad. [8] The group, now named Silverchair, subsequently accepted a three-album deal from Sony Music in 1994, and the label hurriedly released their first album Frogstomp in 1995 after "Tomorrow" remained in the No. 1 position on the Australian singles chart for six weeks. [12]
The band released Freak Show in 1997, [13] followed by Neon Ballroom in 1999, [14] and then Diorama in 2002. [15] Following Diorama, Silverchair embarked on a lengthy hiatus before the release of the next album. [12]
In late 2005, Johns and Silverchair reunited and announced the production of a new album entitled Young Modern , whose title comes from a nickname given to Johns by composer Van Dyke Parks. [16] The new album was released on 31 March 2007 and was followed by the Across the Great Divide tour with fellow Australian band Powderfinger.
In May 2011, Silverchair announced on their website that the band was going into "indefinite hibernation" and explained that "it's become increasingly clear that the spark simply isn't there between the three of us at the moment". [17] [18] Later that month, Johns and filmmaker Josh Wakely presented a talk at TEDx Sydney in which they discussed a film that they were working on that was tentatively titled My Mind's Own Melody. A video of the talk was uploaded to YouTube in June 2011, [19] and a trailer for the completed film was released in mid-2012. [20]
During the post-Diorama hiatus, Johns worked on several side projects, the most notable being The Dissociatives with dance musician/producer Paul Mac. Johns and Mac worked together since Mac's 1997 remix of "Freak" and his contribution to Neon Ballroom. In 2000, they recorded a five-track EP I Can't Believe It's Not Rock . Their debut album The Dissociatives (2004) was initially recorded in London, United Kingdom, and a few months later, the two regrouped in Sydney and Newcastle to finish off the project. The Dissociatives toured with musicians Kim Moyes on drums, Julian Hamilton on keys, and James Haselwood on bass.
On 13 June 2008, it was reported on Silverchair's website that Johns was working on a new side project with Luke Steele (The Sleepy Jackson, Empire of the Sun), but a release date was not confirmed for the collaboration. In 2008, the name of the project was "Hathaway and Palmer," according to a radio interview that Steele conducted, but this has not been confirmed since. [21]
In December 2008, Johns was named as the producer of The Scare's album. [22]
In 2012, Johns collaborated with the Australian Chamber Orchestra to create the soundtrack Atlas for a Qantas Airlines commercial that began airing a week before the 2012 Olympics. [23] Johns explained:
When Qantas first approached me, I agreed to the project as I was really into the idea of creating a piece of music that represented Australia. I wanted it to sound big, something special. It was a conscious effort to create a good piece of music and not just a jingle. I've also wanted to work with the Australian Chamber Orchestra for a long time now, so it was great to finally be able to do that. [23]
In May 2012, Johns wrote and recorded music with pop duo The Veronicas for the latter's third album. The writing process began in November 2011, and the twin sisters stated that working with Johns "was one of our greatest experiences." [24]
As of January 2013, Johns was scheduled to appear in a live performance with Van Dyke Parks as part of the Adelaide Festival on 8 March 2013 and was also rumoured to be working on a debut solo album. [25] In May 2013, Steele revealed that he and Johns were completing the project that they had started in 2008. [26]
In January 2014, Johns co-wrote the song "Impossible", released by Australian rapper 360, and also sang on the song's chorus. Johns met 360 through his brother Heath, who is also 360's publisher. [27]
In 2016, Johns was a musical director and arranged and produced the music for the Netflix animated children's series Beat Bugs . [28] [29] He was also the singing voice for the characters Walter, [30] and Mr. Mudwasp. [31] He stated, "It's a dream job to go into the studio and dissect all of The Beatles' music". [28] Johns said that Eddie Vedder liked his version with the guide vocals for "Magical Mystery Tour" so much that he kept Johns's backing vocals in the finished song. [29]
In May 2016 Johns collaborated with Perth duo Slumberjack on their track "Open Fire", [32] and also featured in the music video. [33] In the same year he co-wrote and provided uncredited backing vocals to 'Say It' from Flume's Skin LP. [34]
Johns has also worked with artists such as Zhu in the track "Modern Conversation" in 2017 and fellow Australian artist What So Not in the album Not All The Beautiful Things, released in 2018, where he contributed to a good portion of the music.
Johns premiered the band 'Boom Tish' back in 2017. They've released just one song, a cover of the Easybeats' 'Hello, How Are You'. However, band members Beau Golden and Dave Jenkins Jnr both posted new photos of Boom Tish in the studio in January 2020. Boom Tish evolved out of Johns' live band for his consecutive Sydney Opera House shows in 2015. [34]
Johns teamed up with Luke Steele from Empire of the Sun to form Dreams, releasing the single "No One Defeats Us" in March 2018. [35] Dreams' debut album, No One Defeats Us, was released in September 2018 through EMI. [36]
In November 2013, it was reported by various media outlets that Johns was in the process of working on a solo album due for release sometime in 2014. His manager John Watson was quoted as saying: "it's looking extremely likely that it'll be out next year." [37]
For the 40th birthday of the Triple J radio station, Beat the Drum, held at The Domain, Sydney, on 16 January 2015, Johns performed a piano version of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit". [38]
Johns debuted a new song as a solo artist on 29 January 2015 on Triple J. Titled "Aerial Love", Peter Vincent, National Music Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald , described the song as "sexy" and "soulful". "Aerial Love" debuted at No. 50 on the Australian Singles Chart, later peaking at No. 21. [39] Johns released his fifteen-track debut album as a solo artist on 22 May 2015, entitled Talk . The record features multilayered arrangements of R&B, soul, synthpop, and electronic melodies. Talk peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart in Australia within the first two weeks of its release. [40] The album also achieved some unexpected success in other parts of the world, coming in at No. 1 on the Slovakian iTunes albums chart shortly after release.
In October 2021, Johns released a Spotify Original Podcast, Who Is Daniel Johns?, of which he is both the host and subject. The five-part podcast, produced by Kaitlyn Sawrey, Amelia Chappelow and Frank Lopez, features interviews with key figures in Johns' life, including ex-wife Natalie Imbruglia, Paul Mac, Van Dyke Parks and Billy Corgan. [41] Who Is Daniel Johns? became Spotify's most popular podcast in Australia. [42] In an October 2021 interview on Network 10's The Project to promote the podcast, Johns said that while he still plans to work on new music, he may never play live again. [43]
On 7 December 2021, Johns announced via a personal letter to fans that his second solo album, FutureNever , would be released on 1 April 2022; [44] however, this was later pushed back to 22 April. [45] The album was made available for pre-order on the FutureNever.art website. FutureNever is the first album Johns released on his own label via a new global deal with BMG. [46]
In July 2007, Johns claimed on Australian radio station Triple J that he had shared a joint with his then-wife Natalie Imbruglia, Australian Federal MP and ex-Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett, and U2 frontman Bono in November 2006 while they listened to a demo recording of Silverchair's album Young Modern. In response, Tony Wood, whose daughter Anna Wood died of water intoxication secondary to use of MDMA, suggested that Garrett be subject to a drug test. [47] Garrett asserted that he had not touched marijuana since his twenties, and Johns said the original statement was a joke, adding he thought it would be obvious that it was a joke, as both Garrett and Bono were publicly against drugs. [48]
On 28 October 2014, Johns was stopped by police when they spotted his black Jaguar travelling at a speed of between 70 and 80 kilometres per hour (43 and 50 mph) along Morgan Street in Merewether, which is governed by a speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour (31 mph). Johns, who was arrested for driving under the influence, told police that he had consumed four large wines between 4.30pm and 7.40pm. Johns was required to attend a traffic offenders course; [49] he reappeared in Newcastle Local Court in February 2015 and was convicted of mid-range drunk driving, receiving an $880 fine and disqualification from driving until June 2015. "I made a mistake, for which I am really sorry," the singer told reporters outside the court that day. "I completed the traffic offenders program, and it will never happen again." [50] However, in March 2022, Johns was again charged with a DUI (this time in the high range, testing 0.157, which is more than three times the legal limit) after his SUV crossed to the wrong side of the Pacific Highway at North Arm Cove and collided with a van travelling in the opposite direction. [51] A woman passenger of the van was hospitalised, but there were no serious injuries and she was released from the hospital that same night. [51] [52] Johns said of the incident, "I have to step back now as I'm self-admitting to a rehabilitation centre and I don't know how long I'll be there." Johns said he had been medicating with alcohol to deal with his PTSD, anxiety and depression. [51] On 7 July 2022, Johns was sentenced. The judge said the charge was serious but Johns' background and circumstances were exceptional and gave him a relatively light punishment by disqualifying him from driving for seven months and a 10-month intensive corrections order. [53]
On 11 August 2019, The Sunday Telegraph and the Daily Mail published a false story about Johns alleging that he had been spending his time at a notorious Sydney S&M brothel and bondage club called The Kastle. [54] Johns sued The Sunday Telegraph and the Daily Mail for defamation and denied the allegations, describing them as "simply untrue" and "hurtful, humiliating, and damaging to me and my family". [54] The Kastle's proprietor also denied that Johns had ever been at the club. [54] The Telegraph's publisher News Corp has paid Johns a $470,000 settlement. [54] The Sunday Telegraph issued a retraction and apology to Johns on 3 May 2020. [55] The Daily Mail issued a retraction and apology on 8 August 2020: "The story was wrong. Mr Johns had not been there and he has never been there. Daily Mail retracts the story and apologises to Mr Johns for the error and for the hurt and damage caused to him." [56]
In late 1997, during the Freak Show tour, Johns experienced depression. [57] In 2004, Johns spoke at length to ABC interviewer Andrew Denton about his battle with anorexia nervosa at that time, saying that he weighed less than 50 kg (110 lb) at his thinnest. He also revealed that at one point he had considered suicide. However he was by then married to singer Natalie Imbruglia, who provided him with emotional support, and he was healthy. [58]
After recording Diorama, Johns was diagnosed with a rare but serious case of reactive arthritis. After treatment in Los Angeles, he was able to tour with the band for the Across the Night Tour. [59]
After putting Silverchair into "indefinite hibernation" in 2011, Johns retreated to his home in Merewether, later stating "I felt like I was losing who I was". He checked the surf conditions obsessively every morning even though he hadn't surfed since his teens. By his own admission, he spent four years hiding and shutting things out. He kept company with his shar-pei–whippet crossbred dog named Gia, watched movies with the blinds closed, and ordered online grocery deliveries. [60]
Johns is known for his animal rights support, having revealed that he was a vegan in 1998, [61] although it was stated that he was a pescetarian in 2009. [62] The Neon Ballroom song "Spawn Again" features Johns' views on animal liberation. [63]
In 1999, Johns met Australian actress, singer, and model Natalie Imbruglia backstage at a Silverchair concert in London. They started dating after meeting again at the ARIA awards after-party at the Gazebo Hotel in Sydney in October of the same year. [64] After years of an on-and-off relationship, [65] [66] Johns announced their engagement shortly before Christmas 2002, [67] and they married on New Year's Eve 2003. [68] Johns wrote the song "Satisfied" for Imbruglia's 2005 album Counting Down the Days , which he also produced, [69] and co-wrote the song "Want" from Imbruglia's 2009 album Come to Life . [70] [71] Imbruglia wrote her 2005 single "Counting Down the Days" about their long-distance relationship, as Imbruglia was based in London and Johns in Newcastle. [68] On 4 January 2008, they announced that they were divorcing, stating, "We have simply grown apart through not being able to spend enough time together." [72]
In 2008, Johns was dating Australian model Louise Van der Vorst. [73] In 2009, the couple moved from Australia to New York City so that Van der Vorst could expand her modelling career. By July 2011, the couple were living together in Newcastle, Australia. [74] They split in 2012. [75] [76]
In early 2013, Johns was spotted with fashion designer Estelita Huijer in Sydney. [76] Johns commenced a relationship with former model Michelle Leslie in October 2016. [77]
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
---|---|---|
AUS [78] | ||
Aerial Love | ||
Talk | 2 | |
FutureNever |
| 1 [80] |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
---|---|---|---|
AUS [78] | |||
"Aerial Love" | 2015 | 21 | Talk |
"Cool on Fire" [81] | 68 | ||
"Going on 16" | — | ||
"I Feel Electric" (featuring Moxie Raia) [82] | 2022 | — | FutureNever |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
---|---|---|---|
AUS [78] | |||
"Impossible" (360 featuring Daniel Johns) | 2014 | 25 | Utopia |
"Open Fire" (Slumberjack featuring Daniel Johns) | 2016 | — | non album single |
"Be OK Again" (What So Not featuring Daniel Johns) | 2017 | — | Not All the Beautiful Things |
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | FutureNever | Independent Album of the Year | Nominated | [83] [84] |
Best Independent Pop Album or EP | Won |
The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | "Straight Lines" | Song of the Year | Won | [85] [86] |
Most Played Australian Work | Won | |||
Daniel Johns | Songwriter of the Year | Won | ||
2016 | "Aerial Love" | Song of the Year | Shortlisted | [87] |
2023 | "I Feel Electric" | Nominated | [88] [89] |
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony held by the Australian Recording Industry Association.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | Silverchair's Diorama | Producer of the Year | Won | [90] [91] |
2015 | Daniel Johns Talk | Best Male Artist | Nominated | [92] |
Lorin Askill for Daniel Johns – "Aerial Love" | Best Video | Nominated | ||
2022 | FutureNever | Best Solo Artist | Nominated | [93] |
Natalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian-British singer-songwriter and actress.
Silverchair was an Australian rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Newcastle, New South Wales, with Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars, Ben Gillies on drums, and Chris Joannou on bass guitar. The group got their big break in mid-1994 when they won a national demo competition conducted by SBS TV show Nomad and ABC radio station Triple J. The band was signed by Murmur and were successful in Australia and internationally. Silverchair has sold over 10 million albums worldwide.
Paul Francis McDermott, who performs as Paul Mac, is an Australian electropop musician, singer-songwriter, producer and music re-mixer. He was classically trained at Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Mac has formed various bands including Smash Mac Mac (1986–88), The Lab (1989–1998), Itch-E and Scratch-E (1991–present), Boo Boo Mace & Nutcase (1996–98), and The Dissociatives (2003–2005). Mac has released two solo albums, 3000 Feet High and Panic Room – both appeared in the top 40 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
The Dissociatives were an Australian alternative rock band consisting of Daniel Johns of Silverchair and dance producer and DJ Paul Mac, which formed in mid-2003. They were supported by touring members, Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes, and James Haselwood. Their first single "Somewhere Down the Barrel" peaked at No. 25 on the ARIA Singles Chart. The duo's debut album The Dissociatives reached No. 12 on the ARIA Albums Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2004 they won two trophies; Best Cover Art for James Hackett's work on The Dissociatives and Best Video for Hackett's direction of "Somewhere Down the Barrel".
Diorama is the fourth studio album by Australian alternative rock band Silverchair, released on 31 March 2002 by Atlantic/Eleven. It won the 2002 ARIA Music Award for Best Group and Best Rock Album. The album was co-produced by Daniel Johns and David Bottrill. While Bottrill had worked on albums for a variety of other bands, Diorama marked the first production credit for lead singer Johns.
Nicholas George Littlemore is an Australian musician, record producer, singer, songwriter and tour manager. As a musician, he is the frontman of the electronic project Pnau, an ex-member of the art-rock band Teenager and one part of the electro pop-duo Empire of the Sun. As a record producer, he has worked with Elton John, Lover Lover, Groove Armada and Mika. From late 2009, Littlemore had worked with the Cirque Du Soleil as a composer and musical director for the touring arena show Zarkana, which debuted on 29 June 2011. His older brother Sam La More is also a musician and record producer. In 2019, he and Peter Mayes launched the label Lab78.
The Sleepy Jackson are an Australian alternative rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia. The band's name was inspired by a former drummer who was narcoleptic. The band revolves around the distinctive vocal style of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Luke Steele. Stemming from a musical family, Luke's father Rick Steele is a local blues musician, and two of Luke's siblings are also musicians, with brother Jesse a former member of The Sleepy Jackson, and sister Katy, who fronts another Perth rock band, Little Birdy. While a series of acclaimed EPs brought The Sleepy Jackson to a broader musical attention of Australia, it was the release of their 2003 album Lovers and 2006 second album Personality – One Was a Spider, One Was a Bird that directed significant international focus upon the band.
Natalie Bassingthwaighte is an Australian singer, actress and television personality. Born in Crookwell and raised in Wollongong, New South Wales, she began her career in musical theatre. She later pursued an acting career in 1998 with guest appearances in television shows. Bassingthwaighte rose to prominence in 2003 on the Australian soap opera Neighbours for her role as Izzy Hoyland, which earned her three Logie Award nominations.
The Presets are an Australian electronic music duo of Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes. Formed in 2003 and signed to Modular Records, The Presets released two EPs in advance of their debut album, Beams, released in 2005 to positive critical response. After two years of touring, including as the Australian support for Daft Punk, the band's 2008 release, Apocalypso, debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart, and went on to win six awards at ARIA Awards 2008, including Album of the Year.
Young Modern is the fifth and final studio album by Australian alternative rock band Silverchair, released in Australia on 31 March 2007 and in the United States on 24 July 2007 and co-produced by Daniel Johns and Nick Launay. The title comes from a nickname given to Daniel Johns by composer Van Dyke Parks. The tracks "Straight Lines", "Reflections of a Sound", "If You Keep Losing Sleep" and "Mind Reader" were released as singles. Young Modern entered the Australian albums chart at No. 1 on 15 April 2007, their fifth consecutive album to do this, making Silverchair the first band to accomplish this feat in Australia. The album was certified Triple Platinum by the ARIA, peaked at No. 70 on the US Billboard 200 chart and opened at No. 8 on the New Zealand albums chart. Young Modern won six ARIA Awards in 2007, including Best Group, Best Rock Album, Single of the Year and Album of the Year. At the J Awards of 2007, the album was nominated for Australian Album of the Year.
Julian Thomas Hamilton is an Australian singer-songwriter and keyboardist, who, with bandmate Kim Moyes, formed the electronica duo, The Presets in 2003. They have issued four studio albums, Beams, Apocalypso, Pacifica, and Hi Viz. Both were previously members of another electronic group, Prop, which released two albums, Small Craft Rough Sea (2001) and Cook Cut Damage Destroy. Hamilton has also worked as a session and touring member of Silverchair (2001–2003) and The Dissociatives (2004). At the APRA Music Awards of 2008 Hamilton and Daniel Johns won Song of the Year and Most Played Australian Work for Silverchair's single, "Straight Lines". In 2009 Hamilton and Moyes won Songwriters of the Year for their work on Apocalypso for The Presets.
"Tomorrow" is a song by Australian rock band Silverchair, which was released on 16 September 1994 on their debut extended play, also titled Tomorrow. The song was re-recorded and included on Frogstomp, the band's debut studio album, released six months later on 27 March 1995. Written by singer and lead guitarist Daniel Johns and drummer Ben Gillies, it was produced and engineered by Phil McKellar at the national radio station Triple J's studios for SBS-TV's show Nomad, which aired on 16 June 1994. After the broadcast, Silverchair were signed to the Murmur record label – a Sony Music subsidiary – which subsequently issued the Tomorrow EP.
Luke James Steele is a New Zealand born musician, singer and songwriter. Steele is the vocalist and primary songwriter of the alternative rock band the Sleepy Jackson and is a member of the electronic music duo Empire of the Sun.
"Without You" is a song by Australian rock band Silverchair, released as the second single from their fourth album, Diorama (2002), on 13 May 2002. It was written by lead singer-guitarist Daniel Johns and was composed during the recording sessions for the band's third album Neon Ballroom (1999) but was not used at that time.
"Straight Lines" is a song by Australian rock band Silverchair. It was released on 12 March 2007 and debuted at number one on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, becoming the band's first number-one single since 1997's "Freak". The single was shortly followed by the release of the band's fifth studio album Young Modern on 31 March 2007. Unlike the songs written during Diorama, when Daniel Johns wrote all the tracks himself, "Straight Lines" was co-written by the Presets' Julian Hamilton.
Empire of the Sun is an Australian electronic music duo formed in 2007. The duo is a collaboration between Luke Steele, formerly of alternative rock band The Sleepy Jackson, and Nick Littlemore, of electronic dance band PNAU.
The 12th Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 20 October 1998 at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre. Presenters, including Democrats deputy leader Natasha Stott Despoja and former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, distributed 29 awards with the big winner Natalie Imbruglia receiving six trophies.
The 13th Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 12 October 1999 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Hosted by Paul McDermott and Bob Downe, and presenters, including Melanie C of the Spice Girls, Tina Cousins, Fiona Horne and Molly Meldrum, distributed 33 awards. The big winner for the year was Powderfinger with four awards.
"Aerial Love" is the debut solo single by Australian recording artist Daniel Johns. It was released on 29 January 2015 as the lead single from his debut solo studio album, Talk. It peaked at number 21 on the Australian ARIA Charts.