JD Fortune Set To Rock INXS Classics In Australia

Swaggering. Charming. Electrifying. INXS fans, get ready, the Original Rockstar (and former INXS Frontman), JD Fortune will finally return to Australian stages for his first ever headline tour this October with his band to perform the Best of INXS! The powerhouse Canadian vocalist will perform be delivering a set of INXS anthems and classics including Need You Tonight, Never Tear Us Apart, New Sensation, Mystify, Devil Inside, Don’t Change, Suicide Blonde, Original Sin as well as the songs he co-wrote with INXS, Pretty Vegas and Devil’s Party.

Like many others, Canadian born vocalist JD Fortune grew up as a kid in the 1980’s worshipping the timeless, svelte Pop Funk of INXS. Fastrack to 2005, life became surreal for Fortune as he rose to international fame as the winner of the reality show, Rock Star: INXS. For seven years from 2005 to 2011, JD fronted INXS and sang on their final studio album, Switch and now JD is ready to reconnect with Australia and the music that changed his life.

The shows are sure to be a dynamic, emotionally charged live experience that honours the legacy of INXS while shining a spotlight on JD Fortune’s vocal talents and captivating stage presence. Backed by a world-class band this tour is a must-see event for Australian INXS fans. JD Fortune talks to Hi Fi Way about the tour.

Fantastic to be talking to you, I have to say from the start. I was so stoked when this tour got announced last week. Honestly, and I say this sincerely, I honestly think that you were the best front man post Michael Hutchence to actually do the INXS gig. I think you kind of captured the spirit, the intensity, and all the things INXS. So the fact that you’re doing this tour, it can’t come around soon enough.
I appreciate that, Rob. I really do, man, it’s been a minute. I’m so blown away that you just said that, man, because that means the world to me. Thank you for having me on this interview. I appreciate it.

In some ways, do you feel like this is making up for some lost time?
Oh, yeah, mate, I’m very hungry, as it were. From my point of view, it’s been 2011. It’s been a minute. All I can tell you is Australia is my second home. I can’t wait to get back there. It’ll be our Fall, your Spring. Right now, we’re at two degrees here in Nova Scotia, Canada, and all I keep thinking about is the crowds and the people in Australia. So this has been twelve months in the making and we finally have it here together. It’s gonna be epic. I can’t even tell you, we’ve got some really good, really good stuff. Yeah. I was out in the sun earlier today thinking I was going get a tan for this interview, and I look like a red lobster. So sorry, mate!

Being in INXS, was that seriously the best time of your life? It must have been one hell of a ride for seven years.
Yeah, it was the greatest thing that ever happened to me in my career, my friend. Just getting to write with Andrew and the band, and be present for all of that history, and then be in the inner circle of that, it was… every one of my expectations were fulfilled, and then some. It was a bit daunting to have one of the world’s greatest rock stars, Michael Hutchence, just in the background of all of that too. Hutch was like a big presence, probably one of the last stadium rock stars that you’ll see. You won’t get another talent like that for thirty, forty years and the fact that he was Australian was even more daunting because everywhere else in the world we went, I was the new lead singer for INXS. But in Australia, I was the guy stepping up to fill Michael’s shoes, and let me tell you, Rob, he left some pretty big shoes.

Did anything ever prepare you for making that big quantum leap into such a role?
Nothing. No, it’s like being a passenger on a 747. Even though you fly in the 747 every day, you’re not the captain. You’re not the captain of that plane. You might know how all the seatbelts and everything work, but you don’t know how to fly that plane and INXS is a 747 of a band, arguably one of the greatest rock bands in history. That’s why I’m doing this because I feel like they should be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I’d like to be a part of that journey with them and keep the music alive for generations to come. It’s my privilege and my honor and just getting the blessing of the band to go forward and do some music has been great, man. It’s been really cool.

Was the scrutiny of being in the band whether that was good, bad, or indifferent hard to cope with?
There’s no other equivalency unless you’re in a job where they say, “Hey, the guy that was here before you kicked ass. So you better kick ass like he did.” It’s a weird headspace to get into when you’re in different countries. They don’t speak English, but they know every word to every INXS song that we played. That is a testament to Australia, to INXS, to the writing, to the artistry of that band. I’ve loved this music since I was a child, and to get to do it now is just, I got to tell you, man, I feel like it’s the right thing to do at this time. I think I’m going to bring a lot of joy and I think that crowd is going to be on fire. It’s going to be great.

What can you say about the show?
It’s going to be so intimate, and the vibe in there is going to be incredible. Anybody reading this I just appreciate it if you come out and check us out. I think you’re going to be very impressed, and you’re going to walk away saying, “I got my INXS fix tonight.”

When the INXS journey ended did that leave a real void in your life?
Oh yeah, yeah. As you do, you kind of take stock of everything that’s going on. I wouldn’t say it necessarily ended because I still talk to Gary. Still talk to Kirk. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with the Farriss brothers while I’m down there, we’ll see what happens. Like I said, I would love it if they got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and just to be a part of their journey. Fronting them for almost eight years was one of the greatest things in my life artistically. That’s been the driving force behind me.

When I got asked to be in the band, it was because I grew up on that music, it was in my DNA. It’s part of me. When I think about it, Michael’s voice was the voice that made me stop just wanting to be in a band and start actually forming bands at twelve years old. As soon as I heard Devil Inside, I thought, “Holy shit, this is good. This is really good.” And lo and behold, twenty years later, they asked me to be in the band. I’m still carrying the torch for the music. So God bless Australia for having me as your guest, and I can’t wait to get down there.

Even watching the TV show Rock Star: INXS in 2005, right from the first episode it was like, “Yep, he’s the one.”How important was it for you to have the blessing of the rest of the band to be able to do this? It kind of feels like the planets are aligning, and something just might happen here in Australia.
I feel that too, man. It was very important to have that blessing, and secondly, I feel you, that’s exactly where I’m at. This has been twelve months in the making. I’ve got a lot of great people behind me, Frazer Bourke from Metropolis and John Howarth. They’re the guys making this all possible, along with the crowds and the people who are buying tickets to come see this. If you haven’t bought a ticket, you should because I think you’re going to get what you expect, but more. You’ll probably walk away saying, “That felt like a roller coaster,” because I feel like I’m a lion in a cage that’s been ready to be let out and it’s been a minute. I’ve got twenty years of experience with this music, and I consider myself a seasoned professional when it comes to delivering what you expect from an INXS show. It’s going to be nothing less than that, I promise you.

Do you have a favorite era of INXS, or a particular album that really clinched this band for you?
I’m a bit biased, I would say Switch (2005). But Shabooh Shoobah was big for me, and then Kick really turned it on. Don’t Change was the first video I ever saw of INXS, and then Original Sin, which had a darker vibe. The video made my young brain go, “Oh!” And then Devil Inside, my grandparents had a little twelve-inch black and white TV. We had three stations in Canada at that time, and I saw that video for the first time in black and white. Even in black and white, it just pinned me. It opened me up. So yeah, I would have to say ’87, Kick was off the chain. You can’t deny how globally huge that album was, and I got swept up in the romance of it all. That’s why I’m still carrying the torch and moving forward.

Pretty incredible that they’re celebrating the fortieth anniversary of Listen Like Thieves with the re-release that just came out.
Yeah still such a fantastic album, loaded with bangers from start to end. Doing that in the show, Listen Like Thieves. Like I said, it’s a nice mix of all the massive hits, plus some deep cuts, some original music, and a couple of covers. Might throw in a little AC/DC, you never know.

That always goes down a treat here.
Doesn’t it?

How important is it to be playing these songs? It’s not a tribute show is it?
First, you have to write with the band to get to know them. That got into my bloodstream. As far as the INXS cover bands go, that’s cool. But this isn’t a tribute act, this is JD, this is me. I get the need for tribute acts, they’re all over the world, which is a testament to Australian music. What weirds me out is when I see videos of guys dressed as Tim Farriss, John, Andrew, Kirk, and Michael. It’s okay, cool. But for me, I was actually in the band. For lack of a better expression, I’m not wearing hockey pads.

What moments stand out from your time in INXS?
Oh, great question. The first year with INXS, it just went by so fast and then suddenly, you find yourself twenty two months into a tour, and you haven’t seen your family in a year. In those twenty two months, it’s just music, music, music, go, go, go. Stadium after arena after stadium, after arena, after theatre. Your brain starts spinning. I’ve been in countries where they don’t speak the language, but they know every single word of every single song in the INXS set. That blew me away, going to places where the guy driving us back to the hotel doesn’t speak English, but he’s singing Devil Inside or Never Tear Us Apart all the way back word for word. Those moments are cool.

Are writing any new music? Do you think we could see an album released?
Every day. I have something coming out in 2026. Hopefully, if you guys have me back, I’d be honored and I’d love to play more. I’m gonna do a couple of originals this time around in 2025, test the waters, see how you guys like it. If you like it, I’ll keep doing more. If not, I’ve got other things I can do, too.
2026 should have my album out. I’ve been working on some stuff. Whiskey Days is available on Spotify now just a demo. I’ve got a new song called Ball of Fire, I think I’ll be playing it in Australia night after night. Hopefully, by the time I leave, everyone will be humming that song. In the meantime, I’ve got this incredible catalog of INXS music, including from my time with the band. It’s going to be a well-rounded show. I’m not here to change the world, I just want to rock. That’s what my show is, it’s a party. Come and have a party. We’re going to have a great time. It’s a sing-along night. It’s going to be amazing.

Interview By Rob Lyon

Catch JD Fortune on the following dates, tickets from Metropolis Touring…