Ben Johnston

Ben Johnston (born December 1, 1981 in Culver City, California) is an American pop/rock singer and songwriter, most notably known for his multiple number-one singles, including "Army Of Clones" and "Throwing Punches In The Dark".

1981-2004: Beginnings
Johnston was born December 1, 1981 in Culver City, California. He graduated from Culver City High School in 2000, where he was involved in many of the varsity spots clubs. Johnston is also a graduate of UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), where he earned a bachelor's degree in performance and composition in 2004. Shortly after graduation, he began to shop demos to labels in the United States, but was unsuccessful. He was advised to try overseas in the United Kingdom, where ultimately, he garnered most of his accolades.

2005-2006: First success and surprise hits
Johnston first appeared in August 2005, when "Man Of The Moment" was submitted for airplay. He signed with Alias Records, whom he stayed with until 2008. He charted in October 2005 with the single, which barely made the top 20. Disappointed with the results, the singer began to experiment with a new image and a new trademark: neon hearts, which graced many of his early single covers. The tactic worked: "So-Called Thing Called Love", the singer's second single, became a surprise top-10 hit in January 2006. Ben's album, Starting On The Right Foot, was also released in the same time period, becoming a Platinum-certified release, which eventually peaked at #2. Another single from the album, "Beauty Killed The Beast", also made the top ten and became his first #1 single on the Airplay Chart.

Johnston surpassed expectations once again as the final single from Starting On The Right Foot, a cover of Robert Palmer's "Addicted To Love", paired with a cover of Cutting Crew's "(I Just) Died In Your Arms" debuted and peaked at #2 on the Singles Chart, his highest charting hit and best-seller at the time.

With sustained momentum, Johnston entered the Tango Challenge in the summer of 2006, where he was paired with Natasha Hilton on a song called "Center Stage", which Ben wrote. Despite heavy promotion, the release spent two non-consecutive weeks at #11, a crushing blow for the singer.

Ben spent the remainder of 2006 in the studio recording for a new studio album.

2007-2008: A shift in musical styles
Johnston returned in January 2007 to promote a new release, The Race Has Only Begun. The effort was a distinctive change in style for the singer, with increased alternative rock roots in many of album's compositions. The album was also a showcase for Johnston's songwriting skills, as the singer wrote or co-wrote over 80% of the material on the release. It was an instant hit, becoming Johnston's first million seller. It contained two consecutive top-3 singles, * "Steal The Night Away" and "Duffel Bags And Bachelor Pads". The singer hit a bit of a snag when the less-commercial "Victoria's Secret/Cabaret Cutie" peaked at #6, and a cover of Don Henley's dark-themed composition "New York Minute" peaked at #5. These two releases would highly influence the material Ben would record in the next few years.

Defeat Is Not An Option, his next release in June 2008, became his first #1 album. Lead single "Romeo's Bleeding Heart" debuted and peaked at #6. However, the album also contained his first #1 single, "Tell Me When The News Comes On", which hit the top in June. A third single was abruptly cancelled due to an overwhelming promotional schedule. However, one more single released off the album, "Shards Of Chaos", which peaked at #4. The album was certified Diamond, selling over 1,300,000 copies in the 42 weeks it spent in the top 40.

Johnston ended 2008 with an album of rerecorded, rewritten and remixed tracks entitled Sketches Of A Songwriter: The Alternate Versions, which he fulfilled as the last album in his contract with Alias Records. Two new singles from the release, "So Much For The Sanity", and "Broken All The Rules", each debuted at #4.

2009-2010: Becoming a superstar
Johnston took several months off before returning in the fall of 2009 with Revitalized. The album featured a more electropop undertone thanks to work with Indigo Peak, who co-produced his second #1 hit "Army Of Clones". "Empty Shell", which became an anthem after the sudden death of Shell Ruin, debuted and peaked at #3, with another #3 single following, "Friday Girls". A deluxe re-release of the album in 2010 provided Johnston's third #1 single, "Throwing Punches In The Dark". That single became Ben's best-selling single release of his career.

Shortly after that, Ben received another #1 single, "A Word You Left Behind", featured on the soundtrack to the movie Fall From Grace.

Later in 2010, Ben released Resistance In The Distance, another #1 album release, featuring two #1 singles thus far: "Hearts As Souvenirs" and "Another Year Goes By/The Catch".

Discography
Main article: Ben Johnston Discography Main article: Ben Johnston Production/Writing Discography


 * Studio albums
 * Starting On The Right Foot (2005)
 * The Race Has Only Begun (2007)
 * Defeat Is Not An Option (2008)
 * Revitalized (2009)
 * Resistance In The Distance (2010)


 * Compilation albums
 * Sketches Of A Songwriter: The Alternate Versions (2008)