Daniel Johns(I)

Daniel Johns is one of the most influential performing artists Australia has ever known, capturing the voice of the youth of Australia, and often, the youth of the world. First performing under the name 'Innocent Criminals', Johns and his band mates shot to fame after winning several competitions, which guaranteed them a record contract. He chose to call his band Silverchair as a form of a living tribute to two of his biggest musical influences, Nirvana (Silver is a spin on their world wide hit 'Sliver') and You am I ('Berlin Chair'). Their debut e.p., 'Tomorrow', was a huge hit in Australia when released in 1995, going double platinum and being the ninth best selling song of the year. When their debut album 'Frogstomp' was released, no one was surprised when it was a huge seller, going platinum in America, 4 x platinum in Australia and selling close to a million copies. Their next album 'Freakshow' was a commercial let-down as Johns sunk into teenage angst and lament, perfectly harmonising about the struggles he faced. Troubles which are many - depression, anorexia and arthritis are all things he has suffered from in the past, and in 1999 he was stalked by a fan. Johns escaped in his music, capturing his struggles through such ballads as 'Cemetery', 'Miss you love', 'Ana's song' and 'Abuse me'. Currently, it appears the worst is behind Johns who is back on top with his new album, Diorama. Unfortunately, due to his arthritis, he has been unable to tour the album, but an incredible performance at the 2002 Aria's boosted sales, and the album has sold close to 500, 000 copies - Diorama is the album critics call "Silverchair's best work yet." Throughout his troubles, he has been lovingly nursed by his girlfriend, singer Natalie Imbruglia. Johns claims he has put his teen angst and woes behind him, and with a great album like 'Diorama' one has to take his word for it. Selling 6 million albums world wide, Johns is the voice of the youth in Australia, and a hero to millions throughout the world.