Meet Iconic Australian Musician in Spotify Original Podcast ‘Who is Daniel Johns’
Daniel Johns is one of the most successful, controversial, and enigmatic artists in Australian music history. Best known as the frontman of Silverchair, Daniel and his bandmates first rose to fame at the age of 15 when their debut album, Frogstomp, was released in 1995. Buoyed by the single Tomorrow, Frogstomp topped the Australian charts and cracked the top ten in the U.S., making Silverchair the first Australian act since INXS to enjoy such success in the States. Daniel then went on to collaborate with Paul Mac to create The Dissociatives in 2003—and endured constant speculation into his personal life throughout it all.
Today, some of the enigma around the musician disappears, as he takes part in our newest Spotify Original podcast in Australia, Who is Daniel Johns?
Fans can look forward to episodes with introductions from actor Guy Pearce, deep dives into the life and times of the musician, and even special guests. The five-part documentary podcast gives the former Silverchair frontman—who notoriously doesn’t do interviews—a chance to tell his story as he addresses the tough questions that have surrounded his entire career. Produced by global podcast heavyweights Kaitlyn Sawrey, Amelia Chappelow, and Frank Lopez, the weekly series also includes a soundtrack of original, yet-to-be-released Daniel Johns music.
“I’m happy to do it because I think it’s a good vessel to release art,” explained Daniel Johns.
“Above all things, I just want to make art, and I would really love for people to hear it. And the only way to get people to hear my art is through vessels like this because I don’t want to perform on stage.”
Following the first five episodes, the season will end with a series of bonus episodes where Daniel has one-on-one conversations with key figures in his life, including collaborators and luminaries Natalie Imbruglia, Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, and Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins.
Get a sneak peak at what each had to say about the elusive artist, whether ever-reverent, or initially skeptical:
Kevin Parker of Tame Impala
“My brother had Frogstomp and he’d just crank it out of his bedroom. Something blasting out of your older brother’s bedroom from behind a closed door—it’s always gonna sound awesome because you’re like, ‘Wow, what is that?’ you know? Yeah, so that was my first Silverchair experience.”
Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins
“I can see [Daniel Johns] at 15 to 16 years old singing on stage, singing in the Australian sun many summers ago. If you’d asked me, ‘You think this kid’s got a future?’ I would have said ‘No chance in hell.’”
Natalie Imbruglia
“Who is Daniel Johns? The first thing that springs to mind is musical genius. Also Peter Pan, maybe.”
Luke Steele of Empire of the Sun and The Sleepy Jackson, Dreamz collaborator
“I think Daniel is probably one of the last true enigmas of the world. He’s like a rare bird.”
In the first episode, Daniel tells the story of his life, capturing key figures, important locations, the formative events that led him on his journey—and the impact of fame on his life. Stream it now, only on Spotify.
