Michael Johns (singer)

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Michael Johns
Michael Johns at the American Idol, Season 7, Top 12 party on March 6, 2008.
Michael Johns at the American Idol, Season 7, Top 12 party on March 6, 2008.
Background information
Birth name Michael John Lee
Born October 20, 1978 (1978-10-20) (age 29)
Perth, Australia
Origin Los Angeles, California, US
Genre(s) Pop
Pop rock
Soul
Soft rock
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter
Years active 2000 - present
Label(s) Beverly Martel Music
Maverick Records
Associated acts The Rising

Michael Johns (born Michael John Lee[1] October 20, 1978) is an Australian-born rock/soul singer-songwriter and the eighth place finalist on the seventh season of the television series American Idol.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Michael Johns was born in Perth, Western Australia, to William (Bill) Lee and Janet Burke (married to John Burke). He is the youngest of three and has half- and step-siblings. He moved to the United States from Australia in 1998 and lived in Atlanta, Georgia for six years, performing at local venues including CJ's Landing and Tin Roof in Buckhead. He now lives in Los Angeles, California with his Texan wife, Stacey Vuduris, where he performs at venues such as Genghis Cohen and the Viper Room.

At 6'3", Johns is a keen sportsman and this was his focus prior to his singing career. He won a tennis scholarship at the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Georgia.[1] He also played Australian rules football for the USAFL club, Atlanta Kookaburras.[2][3]. He is unrelated to Michael Johns, the American business executive, former White House speechwriter, and prominent conservative writer of the same name.

[edit] Career

Prior to pursuing a solo career, Michael Johns performed in Atlanta with Jeff Bramwell and Hank Barbee and released an EP with local band Film. After traveling to Los Angeles to showcase for a number of labels in 2001, he signed with Maverick Records. He then found guitarists Robb Torres and Kevin Haaland, bassist Ari Gorman and drummer Kirke Blankenship and formed a rock band called The Rising[4]. The band toured nationally[5], performed on the Rock Boat, The Sharon Osbourne Show[6] and at the opening of a Los Angeles Apple Store in 2003. The latter performance resulted in the release of the Live at the Apple Store EP.

Their debut album Future Unknown was co-produced by Johns and Rick Beato and scheduled for release on September 16, 2003. Although a number of the tracks received airplay on national radio at that time[7], the album was not actually released until appearing on iTunes while Johns was a finalist on American Idol.

Johns also co-wrote and recorded a rendition of River of Life featuring Lebo Kgasapane of Soweto, South Africa (who died of AIDS at 22 after singing about her school to filmmakers but prior to Johns' release) which was used as a promotional track for the multi-award winning Ithuteng documentary.

[edit] American Idol

[edit] Overview

Michael Johns, considered to be one of the top three competitors[8], auditioned for American Idol at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium on July 30 and July 31, 2007. He was 28 years old at the time of auditions and this was his first attempt and last year of eligibility. He advanced with a unanimous vote after singing Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long", Cowell noting that he is 'like a white soul singer'. In Hollywood, he sang Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" for his audition and received unanimous praise from the three judges. Johns claimed to be avid American Idol fan (having watched this show since the beginning[9]) and was one of the first contestants to be an expatriate to make the Top 12 (along with Carly Smithson who is one of his best friends on the show). He was voted off the show on April 10, 2008. His last song on American Idol was Dream On by Aerosmith for Tuesday's theme, Inspirational Songs.

[edit] Controversy

Johns' 8th place elimination 'shocker'[10] on April 10, 2008 prompted an unprecedented reaction, with angry bloggers questioning the popular program's credibility[11] amidst reports from fans of busy signals throughout the voting period. Ryan Seacrest ended up in the 'hot seat'[12] over comments which gave Johns a false sense of hope, but he later apologized, blaming producer Nigel Lythgoe[13]. There were renewed claims of "fixing" and calls for the show to publish precise voting totals, resulting in a release credited to Fox and show producers: "The network and producers will not disclose voting tallies for the competition, as the release of such information would only serve to create additional rumor and speculation", conflicting with executive producer Ken Warwick's claim that they were open to scrutiny, quoted "No one is saying you can't look at them"[14].

[edit] Performances and results (during voting weeks)

Week # Theme Song choice Original artist Order # Result
Top 24 (12 Men) 1960s "Light My Fire" The Doors 12 Safe
Top 20 (10 Men) 1970s "Go Your Own Way" Fleetwood Mac 1 Safe
Top 16 (8 Men) 1980s "Don't You (Forget About Me)" Simple Minds 5 Safe
Top 12 Lennon/McCartney "Across the Universe" The Beatles 10 Safe
Top 11 The Beatles "A Day in the Life" The Beatles 4 Safe
Top 10 Year They Were Born "We Will Rock You"/"We Are the Champions" Queen 6 Safe
Top 9 Dolly Parton "It's All Wrong But It's All Right" Dolly Parton 9 Safe
Top 8 Inspirational Music "Dream On" Aerosmith 1 Eliminated


[edit] Post-Idol

After he was eliminated on American Idol, Michael Johns received support from stars including Demi Moore, Dolly Parton, Bruno Tonioli[15], Nicole Kidman, and Keith Urban (the latter two relayed by Rupert Murdoch and his wife at a party at their home[16]) and made various appearances on Live with Regis and Kelly, Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Today Show, The Sauce, The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet, The Tony Kornheiser Show, The Ellen Degeneres Show and Access Hollywood. He was also invited to a taping of Saturday Night Live after which he did a duet with guest host Ashton Kutcher at a Manhattan bar[17]. He was subsequently asked to perform at The Children's Hospital of New York Presbyterian[citation needed].

During his appearance with David Foster on Access Hollywood, he sang a soft rock song, "Ain't No Sunshine" with the help and constructive criticism from Foster. Surprisingly, Foster invited Johns to play in his one-night tribute concert, David Foster & Friends on May 23, 2008 (also featuring Andrea Bocelli, Michael Buble and Josh Groban) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas Strip.[18]Johns confirmed that he accepted the invitation on the Kyle and Jackie O show in Australia[19]

During The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet, Johns sang "Across The Universe" (performed during the Top 12 Beatles Week) while playing a guitar. Michael Johns also appeared in TV Guide's Idol Tonight and The Ellen DeGeneres Show performing the song "It's All Wrong But It's All Right" (performed during the Top 9 Dolly Parton week).

Johns was invited by the owners of Team Australia to attend the Long Beach Grand Prix of the 2008 IndyCar Series season on 20 April 2008, where Will Power led them to their first victory[20].

According to published reports, Johns was called by Dolly Parton (who he met along with Kenny Rogers as a child on his step-grandfather's boat in Perth during the 1986 America's Cup[21]) and asked to work with her on an upcoming single: 'You have a great career ahead of you and I'd like to write with you and maybe do a duet'[8].

Johns attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner (where he was 'embraced' by Condoleezza Rice, Rob Lowe,[21] and Crystle Stewart, Miss USA 2008[22]) and Bloomberg after-party on Saturday 26 April 2008 as a guest of ESPN's Tony Kornheiser.

Johns 'has been bombarded with offers from various labels and said he's "confident of having an album out by this time next year"'[21][23], though according to an interview he is unable to accept until after American Idol (season 7) finishes.

Johns has been personally invited by Ellen DeGeneres to perform two songs with Carly Smithson (who was eliminated a couple weeks later) for her 10th anniversary show in Chicago on May 6, 2008[24][25] and was subsequently invited to her 50th birthday celebration on 10 May 2008.

He returned to his native Australia on May 5, 2008 for a promotional visit to Sydney hosted by Fox 8[21] and featured in many television, radio, newspaper, magazine and online articles.

On May 10, 2008 Johns took part in the BritWeek 2008 Celebrity Soccer Match.[26]

Johns will be one of the finalists on the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008 which will tour over 50 cities from July 1, 2008 to September 13, 2008.

On May 27, 2008, John sang the National Anthem at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL.

At almost every single American Idol poll on their official site, Michael Johns is always getting the most votes, Including 'Favorite Idol Contestant', 'Which Contestants Album will you buy', 'Which contestant should have made the final 2?' and 'Who gave the best departure performance.'[citation needed]

[edit] Discography

  • Film, Rolling, 2001, Label: (unknown), 6 tracks * (EP)
  • The Rising, Future Unknown, 16 September 2003, Label: Maverick, 11 tracks *
  • The Rising, Live at the Apple Store, 26 August 2003, Label: Maverick, 5 tracks * (EP)
  • Michael Johns, Michael Johns (2007) [27]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Ho, Rodney. "Michael Johns interview (updated)", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Access Atlanta, 2008-02-15. 
  2. ^ Sean. "Could a former USAFL player be the next American Idol?", World Footy News, 2008-02-18. 
  3. ^ "Mike goes his own way", Atlanta Kookaburras Australian Rules Football Club, 2008-02-27. 
  4. ^ Music Morsels: Crossroads: Michael Lee Of The Rising. www.serge.org. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
  5. ^ The Rising's Michael Lee came to the US with a dream on Nashville City Paper. www.nashvillecitypaper.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
  6. ^ melodic.net: The Film. www.melodic.net. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
  7. ^ FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!. www.fmqb.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
  8. ^ a b Michael Johns given star treatment after American Idol
  9. ^ Michael Johns dishes on his 'American Idol' journey, surprise ouster
  10. ^ 'American Idol' Elimination Shocker: Michael Johns' Dreams Dashed, As Carly Smithson And Syesha Mercado Squeak By
  11. ^ Idol fans in shock after Aussie Michael Johns dumped from show
  12. ^ Ryan Seacrest on hot seat over Michael Johns
  13. ^ On-Air with Ryan Seacrest: Michael Johns
  14. ^ 'Idol' votes no on tallies
  15. ^ When Reality Judges Collide!
  16. ^ 'Idol' Gets Aussie Love
  17. ^ Idol's Johns duets with Ashton Kutcher
  18. ^ David Foster's 'Idol' Surprise For Michael Johns
  19. ^ Kyle and Jackie O
  20. ^ Michael Johns in vicroey lane with Team Australia in Long Beach
  21. ^ a b c d From outhouse to White House
  22. ^ Miss USA®: Miss USA 2008
  23. ^ Michael Johns' offered recording career after American Idol
  24. ^ Ellen does Chicago
  25. ^ DeGeneres takes on Madison Avenue
  26. ^ http://britweek.org/celebrity_soccer_match/
  27. ^ Michael Johns on allmusic.com

[edit] External links

v • d • e
American Idol season 7
Finalists
Other Sources
Persondata
NAME Johns, Michael
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Lee, Michael John
SHORT DESCRIPTION Australian rock/soul singer/songwriter; American Idol finalist
DATE OF BIRTH October 20, 1970
PLACE OF BIRTH Perth, Western Australia
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH