Although born in Perth, Australia, singer/songwriter Michael Johns pursued a music career after moving to America, where he cut his teeth as an Atlanta-based solo artist before piecing a band together in Los Angeles. Johns handled vocals and songwriting duties for The Rising, who signed with Maverick Records and released a debut album, FUTURE UNKNOWN, in 2003. After being dropped by Maverick, Johns chose to go solo once again, this time setting his sights on a slightly different platform — television. At the age of 28, Michael Johns auditioned for the seventh season of American Idol in July 2007. After sailing through his initial weeks on the show he eventually finished in eighth place, having received a surprising dismissal after a performance of Aerosmith's "Dream On." (One year later, Idol introduced a rule allowing the judges to veto one elimination per season, inspired in part by Johns' unexpected exit). Johns made his solo recording debut in 2009 with HOLD BACK MY HEART, which paired his voice with a batch of soulful, Southern-styled songs.