Former Silverchair Frontman Daniel Johns Releases Solo Album 'Futurenever'

Following the global success of his viral podcast 'Who Is Daniel Johns?', former Silverchair frontman, Grammy and Emmy winning composer, and one of the most decorated artists and songwriters of his generation, Daniel Johns releases his second solo album FutureNever. The highly-anticipated new album is out now globally via BMG.

Perhaps U.S. fans remember Daniel Johns as the youngest musical artist to perform on Saturday Night Live with Silverchair? Others may remember him as the 'blonde surfer kid' from Australia who came out of nowhere to open the 1996 MTV Awards by performing atop the roof of Radio City Music Hall.

Others in America, recall the chart-topping vulnerability of "Ana's Song," which became an MTV staple, or the alternative pop radio hit "Straight Lines" that took over American airwaves in 2008. For an artist who has been at the top of his game for nearly 3 decades, it's incredible to note that on release day, the energetic Johns will be celebrating his 43rd Birthday.

"While I very much identify as a 'child fame' survivor, an unintended benefit of early success is the fact that all my peers from the 90's are at least 10 sometimes 20 years older than me. I talked with Billy Corgan about this in the podcast."

While Courtney Love infamously said of Daniel that this Australian kid "sounds like Eddie Vedder and looks like my dead husband," Johns surprisingly identifies with another star of the 90's more than any of his former grunge peers: "to be honest, I see myself more as the Macauley Culkin of rock" Johns comments with his trademark wry smile.

While for the first time in his solo career, Daniel is at peace with his Silverchair past- the chameleonic Johns has no interest in repeating himself.

"Don't talk to me about this record not sounding like Silverchair, every Silverchair record I wrote was criticized for not sounding enough like Silverchair," Johns shares with a laugh.

...but the legacy of one of Australia's most iconic exports is far from ignored on FutureNever, with the band's 1997 smash "Freak" reimagined with youthful and enigmatic newcomer purplegirl as an eery opus that meets at the intersection of Broadway and Elm St.

Later, famed Brian Wilson and Silverchair collaborator Van Dyke Parks, lends his inimitable orchestral arrangements to the ethereal and emotive "Emergency Calls Only," a mesmerizing trip that evokes Silverchair's final 2 albums Diorama and Young Modern. The latter album is deliberately revisited on the stirring and cinematic "Those Thieving Birds Pt. 3" featuring the haunting backing vocals of close friend and collaborator Lisa Gerrard (who won a Golden Globe for composing the Gladiator soundtrack).

Elsewhere on the record, album opener "Reclaim Your Heart" and stand-outs "When We Take Over" and "Someone Call An Ambulance" are an invitation to fans of Johns' later Silverchair compositions, while "Where Do We Go?" sees Johns armed and dangerous with a distorted guitar that some fans had feared he'd never return to.

"purplegirl is 11 years old, Van Dyke is 79- surely FutureNever breaks some kind of record for age diversity in feature artists?" Johns says with a smile before continuing. "FutureNever is an audio Delorean, it's designed to take people to places they've been before, but when you go back- things seem a little different to how you remember them"

...but as the name of the album suggests, this 'audio Delorean' also takes listeners into the future. Johns' new body of work is steeped in an electro-pop world with soulful backdrops and mesmerizing collaborations including Peking Duk, What So Not, and Moxie Raia. While the album release has been shrouded in mystery with no singles released, FutureNever's focus track

"I Feel Electric" (feat. Moxie Raia) is a solar-powered, slinky R&B track that showcases Johns' almost unhuman ability to drop into virtually any genre and make it sound like he's lived there his entire life. No wonder, artists from Kanye to Bono, from Corgan to Ryan Tedder, and Tame Impala's Kevin Parker have cited Daniel's ever-evolving body of work as an influence.

"As an artist, I find myself getting bored quickly, so with this album, I wanted to deliver an exciting record that feels like an adventure for the listener. I've stopped running from my past-I am here, I'm embracing it. In the FutureNever there are subtle and not-so-subtle hints to some of the worlds and characters I've created over the years. FutureNever is me at my best and bravest. I want to share a world that invites repeat listens and encourages discussion and analysis," Johns shares.

Listen to the new album here:

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