Daniel Johns has penned a heartfelt message to ex-wife, Natalie Imbruglia ahead of the singer’s hosting gig at the upcoming ARIA Awards.
Johns addressed Imbruglia — to whom he was married for five years from 2003 to 2008 — during a recent Instagram Q&A session. When asked whether he’d be attending the ARIA Awards, which are set to take place next week (Thursday, November 24), Johns said he won’t appear at the ceremony before wishing luck to Imbruglia as host.
“No, I don’t like big crowds,” the Silverchair frontman wrote, “but wishing everyone an awesome night and [Natalie] will do an amazing job as a host.” Johns and Imbruglia met in 1999, and married at a beachside ceremony four years later. Upon their divorce in 2008, the pair were reported to have stopped communicating for ten years, but have been supportive of each other in the press of late.
Last year, Imbruglia called Johns the “love of my life,” while the Silverchair alum described the split as “the best thing that could have happened” for the couple. Imbruglia will be joined on the ARIA stage by fellow hosts and musicians G-Flip and Ruel. While he was announced as an additional co-host in September, singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi backed out of the ceremony due to scheduling conflicts earlier this month.
The ARIAs have also announced the performer lineup for the ceremony, with the likes of Amyl and the Sniffers, Thelma Plum, Baker Boy, RÜFÜS DU SOL and Peking Duk all set to appear throughout the broadcast. Many of those acts are nominated for Awards, with RÜFÜS leading the pack with seven nominations for their fourth studio record, Surrender. See the full list of 2022 ARIA nominees here.
Earlier this month, Mallrat called-out the ceremony for its male-dominated nominees: “I’m reminded that the Australian music industry, like many industries, is dominated by men” Mallrat said in an Instagram statement. “In this case, men who don’t think an artist is credible unless it’s like a nonchalant dude playing guitar rock music.”
