It was during COVID that I discovered DAMIEN, and he has created an impressive catalogue of music with high praise garnered on an international scale. To say I have enjoyed his contributions to the Australian music scene would be an understatement, as DAMIEN has done more than release music – he has encouraged real conversations about our reality through his music. Most recently featured sharing his insights on ‘Big Sound’, I knew I had to catch up with him to find out more about his own evolution now represented as DAMIEN, Damien J. Johnson and Britney’s Diary.
Heavily supported by Australian community station 4ZZZ, DAMIEN’s sophomore album, ‘Wrong Age. Wrong Race. Wrong Gender’, was awarded ‘album of the week’ and his single, ‘2 Out 10’ was voted into position 68 of the Hot 100 Countdown in 2022. In 2023 DAMIEN had 3 top ten singles on 4ZZZ, including the track ‘Joy (In My Own Time)’ which was voted in at number 61 in the Hot 100 Countdown of 2033, , and his 3rd album ‘Candidate For The Abyss’ debuted at number 3. DAMIEN was the 15th most played artist on 4ZZZ in 2023.
DAMIEN has also received international acclaim, being named a top 20 artist three years running in Nene’s Butler’s (Austria) top male artists (2021, 2022 and 2023).
We first met when you had started working releasing music as DAMIEN. Could you share how your music journey has evolved, to now include Damien J. Johnson?
“I have always wanted my music to be a genuine and authentic experience of who I am as a human being. My humanity has always been coloured with curiosity, creativity and an infinite number of ever-changing nuances and evolving developments. I don’t understand people who are able to neatly categorize themselves into a very specific sub-culture or stereotype. My experience of self is that I am a fluid multi-dimensional being, and to express this through music, I have needed to create various personas of myself that allow me to be truly authentic in my music creation. So on the one hand, you have DAMIEN, who is very flamboyant, brash, energetic and bold and on the other hand, there is Damien J. Johnson, who is more reserved, reflective, mellow and simple. Both have always existed, and both are genuine reflections of my true self. I think that when I first began taking my music seriously and bringing it out into the world, the DAMIEN side of me was the side that was most in need of being heard, and that is why it was the side that was first introduced to everyone, but both sides (and other sides for that matter – did I mention I have also released grunge/punk music under the moniker ‘Britney’s Diary’ and a children’s song under the name ‘The Havana Bananas’ lol), but all these sides have always been there and It is very exciting for me to finally make room to now introduce Damien J. Johnson to you.”
How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard you before?
“As I say, my music is very much a reflection of my humanity, but I know that’s very vague. When I look at ‘DAMIEN’ I hear someone who blends pop, rock, indie and electronica to create music that is similar in ways to Depeche Mode, grandson, TISM, Nine Inch Nails or even Gorillaz without being like any of them. ‘Damien J. Johnson’ is probably easier to define, as that music is very much centered in the folk/country/Americana space and sounds similar to say Noah Kahan.”
How is your songwriting process different when moving from DAMIEN to Damien J. Johnson? How do you separate the two, and is there room to combine the two?
“DAMIEN is very much about the basslines and the energy, so when writing for DAMIEN I usually start with the bass and drums and build songs from there whereas Damien J. Johnson is more about the melodies and stories and so usually starts with guitar and vocal parts. I find it impossible to intentionally separate the two, I simply run with whichever part of me is more prominent in any given moment. I have certainly found ways to combine the two, with Damien J. Johnson often performing acoustic ‘covers’ of DAMIEN songs at gigs and giving them a whole new interpretation. It’s actually a lot of fun to cover yourself.”
Can you share a memorable or funny experience from one of your live shows?
“There are plenty, ranging to the time I was on an outdoor stage with the sun in my face and not being able to see any of my equipment, to performing in near freezing temperatures and having my fingers seize up on my guitar. I also once performed a show and had one the Veronica’s in the audience, which was an absolute buzz. But my favourite story to date was when I played in the Reclink Community Cup for the first time, and I didn’t have any footy boots, and Ian Haug, from Powderfinger and The Church, gave me his hand-me-downs. Imagine being gifted footy boots from one of your musical idols?! Admittedly my footy skills remained pretty shite, but those boots will go with me to my grave.”
How do you handle the business side of being an artist, such as marketing and social media?
“I’m completely self-managed at present, so I do all of my marketing, social media, bookings, invoicing etc etc. I treat myself like a small business and just see this part of the gig as a normal part of business operations. Having said that, I also try to keep a very grounded grip on reality and the overall perspective of what I want my life to look like, which means I don’t get too consumed by this stuff or buy into the rhetoric that one needs to on every social media platform or making daily TikToks or whatever. I think self-promotion, social media and marketing within music can become enslaving, a lot like an addiction, and is not unlike playing the pokies. There’s a small chance you may get lucky and win big, but more than likely, you will lose. It is very hard to make a career as an original musician in Australia, so you need to ask yourself: ‘Is pouring thousands of dollars and hours into social media and marketing, with the odds well and truly against me, the best use of my resources?’. Like with gambling commercial warnings, I like to continually ask myself: ‘What else could you be buying?’ . If investing your time, money and energy into your promotion is costing you more than you can afford (financially, emotionally, spirituality), don’t do it.”
What’s something your fans might be surprised to learn about you?
“I think many of my fans would be surprised to know that I have several university degrees, and that my first degree was in Christian Ministry. In fact spirituality and faith still plays a very significant role in my life, and I think it would surprise people to discover that.”
What are your goals for the next year, with both DAMIEN and Damien J. Johnson?
“I tend not to dwell too much on goals, and like to keep a fairly open, flexible and curious mindset to my life so that I can grab unexpected and interesting opportunities with both hands. I find it is often the things that we don’t expect or plan for that end up becoming the most significant events in our lives. Having said that, I will be releasing several new songs for both DAMIEN and Damien J. Johnson in the new year. I think I will probably be investing more time into promoting Damien J. Johnson, and actively seeking out more performance opportunities there, so as to further build my presence within the folk/country scene, but will certainly be still keeping my foot firmly planted on the DAMIEN accelerator.”
The big question stands – where do you feel most connected: to DAMIEN, Damien J Johnson or perhaps Britney’s Diary. Be sure to follow him on socials and let him know where your appreciation sits for his craft.
