Daniel Johns

An Australian singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Daniel Johns is best known for fronting the muscular Aussie alt-rock/post-grunge outfit Silverchair between 1992 and 2011. Born in Newcastle, New South Wales, Johns started Silverchair alongside friends Ben Gillies and Chris Joannou in the early '90s while still in his teens. The band dominated the alt-rock charts regionally (they also had a strong following internationally) in the mid- to late '90s, taking home a record 21 ARIA awards (Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards) before going on hiatus in 2002.

During the hiatus, Johns began working with electro-pop/dance producer and songwriter Paul Mac under the moniker "The Dissociatives" and released an EP, "I Can't Believe It's Not Rock." In 2005, Silverchair announced that they would be reuniting and recording a new album. The resulting "Young Modern" arrived in 2007 and was followed by an Australian tour with Powderfinger, but by 2011 the group had gone on another "indefinite hiatus." Johns spent the ensuing years honing a new set of songs that veered (sonically) far from the traditional rock approach of his flagship band, employing a heady mix of sensual R&B and soulful electro-pop. He issued a four-song EP, "Aerial Love," in February 2015, then announced the impending arrival of his first solo album, "Talk," which was slated for release a few months later.

Johns is also known for his animal rights support, having revealed that he is a vegan in 1998. The "Neon Ballroom" song "Spawn Again" features Johns' views on animal liberation, but he stated in a subsequent interview: "I'm not telling people how to eat or how to change their lives, I just wanted to express my opinion in a song and it's something, as I said, I feel very strongly about so that's just how I express myself through music."