Ex-INXS frontman looking to get on with solo career, put past behind him May 1, 2009 Tobi Cohen, THE CANADIAN PRESS MONTREAL –
On the eve of his debut performance as a solo artist after parting ways with Aussie rockers INXS, an emotional J.D. Fortune is looking to put the past behind him. “It’s time to sort of get beyond where we left off and start something new,” he told The Canadian Press ahead of his scheduled gig at Saturday’s Denim and Diamonds cancer fundraiser. “What I’m trying to do is embrace INXS with all my heart because they are my favourite band and they are responsible for some of the most amazing experiences in my life, but at the same time, everything changes.” The singer was back in the headlines earlier this year when reports emerged that INXS had unceremoniously fired him at a Hong Kong airport after a 23-month tour. At a meet-and-greet with cancer sufferers Friday, Fortune was reluctant to discuss the band that made him famous after he won the television reality contest “Rock Star: INXS” in 2005. “Please do me a favour. Let’s talk about (my solo album) ‘Death of a Motivational Speaker,’ let’s talk about Denim and Diamonds, let’s talk about why I am here today. Not where I was yesterday. Why I’m here today. Please,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion.
“We made an agreement that we were going to tour the world. We did that. It was amazing. We had so much fun. But that tour ended and everybody’s moving on.”