DAMIEN is a queer, non-binary artist from Queensland who uses emotive post-punk political commentary to challenge popular norms. Gorillaz and Nine Inch Nails have likened him to Depeche Mode.

It is DAMIEN's combination of industrial aesthetic and raw, contemplative lyrics that evoke musicians such as Siiickbrain, Johnny Goth and Nine Inch Nails.

Take a closer look at this brilliant musician

What is your real name?

Damien Johnson

What's your official Showbiz name?

DAMIEN

How did you get into music?

Following a breakup in my late teens, I was feeling incredibly depressed. My father gave me a guitar and suggested I try to get my feelings out by learning to play an instrument. I have used music to express myself ever since.

What field or genre are you into and how would you describe it?

I am a 'Darkwave' musician, which I describe as a hybrid of rock, alternative and electronica.

What were your first project and the people you worked with and which year?

My very first project was a Christian Punk band called 'Eleventhour' in circa 2005. The members of that band were me (guitar vocals). Wes Davis (bass), Tucker Wier (Drums) and Mitch Farrant (guitar). I think we lasted around 12-18months.

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Who or what inspires you or motivates you? And why?

An author/podcaster by the name of 'Rob Bell' is one of my greatest sources of inspiration. He and I have had similar upbringings and wrestle with spirituality and faith, and I find his philosophies most aligned to my own.

Any models you look up to? With reason(s) why?

Musically I look up to Kurt Cobain as a songwriter. I think he communicates beautifully profound things through seemingly nonsense lyrics at times. His work is never clichéd and inspires Imagination in the interpretation whilst striking very sharply at real and intense emotions.

What do you look out for in this line of business?

I try to avoid the lure of adapting my sound and style in order to be better positioned for commercial success. For me music is primarily about expressing myself, my feelings and my thoughts in a way that I find meaningful. Therefore in order to be true to that, I need to accept that who I am may not be 'popular' and my sound may not be 'mainstream', but I think it is more important to be poor in riches but rich in self, than the other way around.

What are some of the challenges you face in your career path?

Getting heard is always a challenge, particularly in Australia, where our population is quite small and spread out, and there really aren't that many different avenues for sharing alternative music to a large audience. It can feel quite a hopeless endeavour at times, which brings me back to needing to firstly be content in producing music for self-expression rather than commercial success.

How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?

I think the internet has made it a lot easier for people to produce and distribute music without needing huge amounts of money or record label backing to be able to do so. This has made music very accessible to songwriters and allows for greater freedom to express oneself through music.

The flip side of this means that there are now more music producers than ever, so the chances of having your music heard are greatly diminished, and there are a lot of people out there trying to exploit that.

These days the music industry seems to be just as much fueled by capitalizing on the hopes and dreams of artists than by listeners wanting to consume music.

PR companies, Playlist Pitching Services and Marketing Services will all try to convince you that they can give you the edge to get noticed, and will prey on your desire to be seen and heard, charging you a small fortune for their services. I have never found these services worth the investment.

Do you have any advice for aspiring songwriters?

Write a LOT, and just keep writing. You have an infinite number of ideas within you! I would also suggest developing your mastery of language and building your vocabulary and understanding of various literary techniques, such as metaphor, hyperbole and the like.

The greater your linguistic toolkit the more ways you can find to communicate your ideas in ways that will hopefully be new and innovative and unique to yourself.

What is your current project about?

My current project is my new album, 'Wrong Age. Wrong Race. Wrong Gender.' Which is a seven-track album due for release in May this year.

It explores the themes of feeling overlooked or undervalued based on things outside of your control and is a critique of the ways in which we wrongly discriminate against people based on attributes that should be of no consequence.

What are your hobbies?

I enjoy gardening, drawing, going to the gym and tasting craft beer.

What do you do aside from this profession?

I am a single dad, so spend a lot of time prioritizing my relationship with my daughter and encouraging her to be curious about the world and to enjoy expressing herself in creative ways.

What is one message you would give to your fans?

I love you.

https://open.spotify.com/album/7FFJKGuV53Kj4zriPVKsHH?si=c496e10f868a40cf

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