Michael Johns (singer)
Encyclopedia
Michael Johns is an Australia
n singer-songwriter
who finished in eighth place on the seventh season
of a United States
television series, American Idol
, in 2008.
. He attended Newman College. As a teenager, Michael John Lee appeared as The Coachman
in Pinocchio
at the Regal Theatre
and was a choir singer in Anything Goes
at His Majesty’s Theatre
.
He moved to the United States
in 1998 on a tennis scholarship and majored in drama at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
in Tifton
. He then lived in Atlanta, Georgia
for six years, performing at local venues. He also played Australian rules football
for the USAFL club Atlanta Kookaburras. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California
with his Texan wife, Stacey Vuduris, who is an interior designer.
in 2003. The Rising produced an iTunes
album Future Unknown. Although a number of the tracks received some airplay on radio in 2003, the album was not released on iTunes until he was on American Idol.
in July 2007. At 28 years old, it was his first audition and last year of eligibility. He claimed to be an avid American Idol fan (having watched this show since the beginning) and was one of the first non-US citizens to make the Top 12. He finished eighth place in the Season 7 competition.
which toured 53 cities from 1 July 2008 to 13 September 2008.
Shaun White
's documentary DVD Don't Look Down features Johns singing all but one track, along with Rye Randa and Jeff Foxworth. Released on 1 January 2009 by Three Rings Project it consists of 17 songs, 10 of which are vocal.
Johns released a song, "Another Christmas," on 12 December 2008, which he penned in 2006 when circumstances kept him from returning to his native Australia for Christmas. Proceeds from the song were advertised as going to the Red Cross and MDA's ALS
division. In 2009, he released a single called Heart on my Sleeve and an album titled Hold back my Heart, which has sold 20,000 copies.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
who finished in eighth place on the seventh season
American Idol (season 7)
The seventh season of American Idol, the annual reality show and singing competition, began on January 15, 2008 and concluded on May 21, 2008. Ryan Seacrest continued to host the show with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returning as judges...
of a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television series, American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, in 2008.
Early life
Johns was born Michael John Lee in Perth, Western AustraliaPerth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. He attended Newman College. As a teenager, Michael John Lee appeared as The Coachman
The Coachman
The Coachman , also known as The Little Man , is a fictional character who appears in Carlo Collodi's book The Adventures of Pinocchio .-Role:...
in Pinocchio
Pinocchio
The Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi, written in Florence. The first half was originally a serial between 1881 and 1883, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio , an...
at the Regal Theatre
Regal Theatre
The Regal Theatre is a theatre located in the suburb of Subiaco in Perth, Western Australia.The theatre was named for King George VI who, at the time, had taken up the throne....
and was a choir singer in Anything Goes
Anything Goes
Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London...
at His Majesty’s Theatre
His Majesty's Theatre, Western Australia
His Majesty's Theatre is an Edwardian Baroque theatre in Perth, Western Australia. Constructed from 1902 to 1904 during a period of great growth for the town, the theatre is located on the corner of Hay Street and King Street in Perth's central business district. At the time the theatre was opened,...
.
He moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1998 on a tennis scholarship and majored in drama at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College is a State College of the University System of Georgia. Located in Tifton, Georgia, ABAC offers baccalaureate and associate degrees...
in Tifton
Tifton, Georgia
Tifton is a city in Tift County, Georgia, United States. The population was 15,060 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Tift County.-Major highways:* Interstate 75* U.S. Highway 41* U.S. Highway 82* U.S...
. He then lived in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
for six years, performing at local venues. He also played Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
for the USAFL club Atlanta Kookaburras. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
with his Texan wife, Stacey Vuduris, who is an interior designer.
Career
After traveling to Los Angeles to showcase for a number of labels in 2001, he formed a rock band called The Rising, where he met his long time girlfriend Jill Stephens, and performed on several television shows. and at the opening of a Los Angeles Apple StoreApple Store (retail)
The Apple Retail Store is a chain of retail stores owned and operated by Apple Inc., dealing in computers and consumer electronics. The stores sell Macintosh personal computers, software, iPods, iPads, iPhones, third-party accessories, and other consumer electronics such as Apple TV...
in 2003. The Rising produced an iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
album Future Unknown. Although a number of the tracks received some airplay on radio in 2003, the album was not released on iTunes until he was on American Idol.
Overview
Johns auditioned for American Idol Season 7 at San Diego's Qualcomm StadiumQualcomm Stadium
Qualcomm Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in San Diego, California, in the Mission Valley area....
in July 2007. At 28 years old, it was his first audition and last year of eligibility. He claimed to be an avid American Idol fan (having watched this show since the beginning) and was one of the first non-US citizens to make the Top 12. He finished eighth place in the Season 7 competition.
Performances
| Week # | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Order # | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top 24 (12 Men) | 1960s | "Light My Fire Light My Fire "Light My Fire" is a song by The Doors which was recorded in August 1966 and released the first week of January 1967 on the Doors' debut album. Released as a single in April, it spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and one week on the Cash Box Top 100, nearly a year after... " |
The Doors The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger... |
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| Top 20 (10 Men) | 1970s | "Go Your Own Way" | Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood... |
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| Top 16 (8 Men) | 1980s | "Don't You (Forget About Me) Don't You (Forget About Me) "Don't You " is a song known for its being in the soundtrack to the film The Breakfast Club and performed by the band Simple Minds in 1985. The songwriters were producer Keith Forsey "Don't You (Forget About Me)" is a song known for its being in the soundtrack to the film The Breakfast Club and... " |
Simple Minds Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band who achieved worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The band produced a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s and best known for their #1 US, Canada and Netherlands hit single "Don't You ", from the soundtrack of the... |
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| Top 12 | Lennon/McCartney | "Across the Universe Across the Universe "Across the Universe" is a song by the English group The Beatles. It was written by John Lennon, and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song first appeared on the various artists charity compilation album No One's Gonna Change Our World in December 1969, and later, in different form, on Let It Be,... " |
The Beatles The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr... |
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| Top 11 | The Beatles | "A Day in the Life A Day in the Life "A Day in the Life" is a song by The Beatles, the final track on the group's 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, the song comprises distinct segments written independently by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, with orchestral additions... " |
The Beatles The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr... |
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| Top 10 | Year They Were Born | "We Will Rock You We Will Rock You "We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded and performed by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. Rolling Stone ranked it #330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA placed it at #146 on its list of Songs of the Century... "/"We Are the Champions We Are the Champions "We Are the Champions" is a power ballad written by Freddie Mercury, recorded and performed by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. One of their most famous and popular songs, it remains among rock's most recognisable anthems... " |
Queen Queen (band) Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor... |
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| Top 9 | Dolly Parton | "It's All Wrong But It's All Right Two Doors Down "Two Doors Down" was a song written and performed by Dolly Parton, which provided a 1978 U.S. country and pop hit for her. The song was sung from the perspective of a woman who has just broken up with her boyfriend and is debating attending a party two doors down the hall from her apartment... " |
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk... |
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| Top 8 | Inspirational Music | "Dream On Dream On (Aerosmith song) "Dream On" is the first single by Aerosmith from their 1973 debut album, Aerosmith. Written by lead singer Steven Tyler, this blues-influenced power ballad became their first major hit and classic rock radio staple... " |
Aerosmith Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many... |
1 | Eliminated |
Post-Idol
Following the show Johns performed on the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008
American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008 was a summer concert tour in the United States and Canada that featured the top 10 contestants of the seventh season of American Idol, which aired in 2008. This tour followed in the tradition of other American Idol summer tours following the completion of the season...
which toured 53 cities from 1 July 2008 to 13 September 2008.
Shaun White
Shaun White
Shaun Roger White is an American professional snowboarder and skateboarder. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He rides regular stance, twelve and negative three degrees on his board.-Early life:Shaun White is an Irish American...
's documentary DVD Don't Look Down features Johns singing all but one track, along with Rye Randa and Jeff Foxworth. Released on 1 January 2009 by Three Rings Project it consists of 17 songs, 10 of which are vocal.
Johns released a song, "Another Christmas," on 12 December 2008, which he penned in 2006 when circumstances kept him from returning to his native Australia for Christmas. Proceeds from the song were advertised as going to the Red Cross and MDA's ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a form of motor neuron disease caused by the degeneration of upper and lower neurons, located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and the cortical neurons that provide their efferent input...
division. In 2009, he released a single called Heart on my Sleeve and an album titled Hold back my Heart, which has sold 20,000 copies.
Albums
| Release Date | Artist | Album | Label | No. of Tracks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Film | Rolling | Projector Records | 6 tracks |
| 16 September 2003 | The Rising | Future Unknown | Maverick | 11 tracks |
| 26 August 2003 | Live at the Apple Store | 5 tracks (EP) | ||
| 2007 | Michael Johns | Michael Johns | - | 12 tracks |
| 2008 | Another Christmas | TRP records | 1 track | |
| 2009 | Don't Look Down – The Height of Competition | 17 tracks |
Downtown Records
| Year | Album details | Peak | Certifications (sales threshold Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... ) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Indie |
|||
| 2009 | Hold Back My Heart Hold Back My Heart Hold Back My Heart is the third studio album by American Idol contestant Michael Johns. It sold 5,000 copies in its first week and a total of 20,000 copies.-Track listing:#"Heart on My Sleeve" -3:41...
|
97 | 12 |
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Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US AC Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
|||
| 2009 | "Life Is Okay" (feat. Brooke White Brooke White Brooke Elizabeth White is an American indie pop/folk-pop singer-songwriter and actress from Mesa, Arizona who was the fifth place finalist on the seventh season of American Idol. In 2005, White released her first studio album, called Songs from the Attic.White's first post-Idol album High Hopes &... ) |
— | Don't Look Down – The Height of Competition |
| "Heart on My Sleeve Heart on My Sleeve "Heart on My Sleeve" is a single written by James Morrison and John Shanks and performed on American Idol season 7 contestant Michael Johns's post-Idol album, Hold Back My Heart. It was released on iTunes, a digital media player, on April 14, 2009... " |
22 | Hold Back My Heart |