Daniel Johns facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Daniel Johns
Johns performing at the Big Day Out in 2008
Born	Daniel Paul Johns (1979-04-22) 22 April 1979 (age 46) Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation	Musician singer songwriter
Years active	1992–present
Spouse(s)	Natalie Imbruglia ​ ​ (m. 2003; div. 2008)​
Family	Heath Johns (brother), Chelsea Johns (sister)
Musical career
Genres	Alternative rock electronica art rock R&B grunge
Instruments	Vocals guitar keyboards
Labels	Atlantic Eleven BMG
Associated acts	Silverchair Dreams The Dissociatives I Can't Believe It's Not Rock

Daniel Paul Johns (born 22 April 1979) is an Australian musician, singer, and songwriter. He is most famous for being the lead singer, guitarist, and main songwriter for the rock band Silverchair.

Besides Silverchair, Johns has been part of other music groups. He formed The Dissociatives with musician Paul Mac and the band Dreams with Luke Steele. Johns has also had a successful solo career, releasing his first solo album, Talk, in 2015. His second album, FutureNever, came out in 2022.

In 2007, Rolling Stone magazine named him one of the 25 most underrated guitarists. As a member of Silverchair, Johns has won 21 ARIA Awards, which are Australia's top music awards.

Early Life

Daniel Paul Johns was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, on 22 April 1979. His father, Greg, owned a fruit shop, and his mother, Julie, was a homemaker. He grew up in the suburb of Merewether and has two younger siblings. Johns went to Newcastle High School and graduated in 1997.

Music Career

Silverchair (1992–2011)

When he was only 12, Johns started a band with his school friends Ben Gillies and Chris Joannou. They called themselves "The Innocent Criminals" and would practice for four hours or more every day after school.

The band got its big break when they were 15. A demo of their song "Tomorrow" won a contest on a TV show. The band, now called Silverchair, signed a three-album deal with Sony Music in 1994. "Tomorrow" became a huge hit, staying at number one on the Australian charts for six weeks. This led to their first album, Frogstomp, being released in 1995.

Silverchair went on to release more successful albums, including Freak Show (1997), Neon Ballroom (1999), and Diorama (2002). After Diorama, the band took a long break.

In 2005, Silverchair got back together to make a new album called Young Modern, which was released in 2007. They toured with another famous Australian band, Powderfinger.

In May 2011, Silverchair announced they were taking an "indefinite hibernation," meaning they were stopping for a while. They explained that the creative "spark" wasn't there between them anymore.

Side Projects and Collaborations

While Silverchair was on break, Johns worked on other music projects. He formed The Dissociatives with dance musician Paul Mac. They released an album in 2004 and toured together.

Johns has worked with many other artists. In 2012, he created the soundtrack Atlas with the Australian Chamber Orchestra for a Qantas airline commercial. He also wrote songs with the pop duo The Veronicas.

In 2016, Johns was the music director for the Netflix animated kids' show Beat Bugs. The show used music from The Beatles, and Johns arranged the songs. He was also the singing voice for some of the characters. He said it was a "dream job" to work with The Beatles' music.

He also formed the band Dreams with Luke Steele of Empire of the Sun. Their album, No One Defeats Us, was released in 2018.

Solo Career

Daniel Johns performing at the Across the Great Divide Tour in September 2007

Johns began releasing music on his own in 2015. His first solo song was "Aerial Love". His first solo album, Talk, came out the same year. The music was a mix of R&B, pop, and electronic sounds. The album was very successful, reaching number 2 on the Australian charts.

In 2021, Johns hosted a popular Spotify podcast called Who Is Daniel Johns?. In the show, he talked about his life and career with people who knew him well, like his ex-wife Natalie Imbruglia and musician Billy Corgan.

On 22 April 2022, his 43rd birthday, Johns released his second solo album, FutureNever. It became his first solo album to reach number 1 in Australia.

Personal Life

Health Challenges

Johns has faced serious health challenges during his life. In the late 1990s, he dealt with a difficult period of poor health. Later, after recording the album Diorama, he was diagnosed with a rare form of reactive arthritis. This condition caused severe pain in his joints and made it hard for him to play guitar. After getting treatment, he was able to go on tour with Silverchair.

Animal Rights

Johns is a strong supporter of animal rights. He became a vegan in 1998, meaning he does not eat any animal products. The Silverchair song "Spawn Again" from the album Neon Ballroom is about his belief in animal liberation.

Relationships

In 1999, Johns met Australian singer and actress Natalie Imbruglia. They got married on New Year's Eve in 2003. Johns wrote songs for her, and she wrote songs about their long-distance relationship. They announced their divorce in 2008, explaining that they had grown apart because they couldn't spend enough time together.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

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.

APRA Awards

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.

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony held by the Australian Recording Industry Association.

See also

In Spanish: Daniel Johns para niños