Background and career
Justin David Hawkins (born 17 March 1975) is an English musician. He is the founder, lead singer, and lead guitarist of The Darkness, of which his younger brother Dan is also a member. He is also the lead singer and guitarist for the band Hot Leg, formed in 2008 and now on hiatus. In 2021, Hawkins launched a YouTube channel entitled Justin Hawkins Rides Again, where he does comedic analysis on songs or artists in addition to covering news in the musical community. Hawkins has been widely praised for his musical abilities, particularly his voice which spans five octaves.
Hawkins was born on 17 March 1975 in Chertsey, Surrey to Sandra and Harold Hawkins. His brother Dan Hawkins was born on 12 December 1976. The brothers grew up in Lowestoft, Suffolk; Hawkins recalled that he and Dan shared a friendly sibling rivalry which prompted both brothers to learn to play the guitar at a young age. Hawkins and his brother both attended East Point Academy. He later found interest as a vocalist, citing Freddie Mercury and Bon Scott as his two biggest influences.
Hawkins was enrolled at Huddersfield Technical College from 1995 until 1997 to study Music Technology. He later managed a position writing advertisement jingles for Ikea and Yahoo! through the late 1990s and early 2000s. Hawkins' brother Dan recalled that Justin had developed a flamboyant stage image as he often performed with numerous local bands wearing spandex or sparkled outfits while utilizing his distinct vocal range to captivate audiences. Hawkins later claimed he used his earnings from a popular commercial he wrote and sang for Ikea in 2000 to fund the Darkness' debut album.
Hawkins and his brother Dan had performed together in numerous bands whilst they were both attending university; though Justin recalls his brother was the original singer of a progressive rock project the two took part in. Eventually the two met drummer Ed Graham and sought to create a new project., the two began playing clubs and pubs before they were later signed by record label Atlantic Records. Their debut album, Permission to Land, went straight to number two in the UK charts upon its release on 7 July 2003, before going to number one and staying there for four weeks, eventually going on to sell 1.5 million copies in the UK and 3.5 million copies worldwide. The success of this album led to heavy touring for the band, including European portions of Metallica's Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003. They went on to headline the Carling Festival in 2004. The band won three BRIT Awards in 2004 in response to the album, Best Group, Best Rock Group and Best Album. They also won two Kerrang! awards in 2004 for Best Live Act and Best British Band. The third single from the album, "I Believe in a Thing Called Love", was a substantial hit in the UK, as was their tilt at the Christmas 2003 number 1, "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)", which only just fell short, both singles reaching No. 2 in 2003. The band also appeared in the video for Band Aid 20, with Hawkins singing a number of lines.
By late 2004 the band's constant media coverage had started to lead to a general public backlash, and Hawkins and the band themselves seemed to show signs that they were disillusioned with their constant media appearances, walking off of an episode of the U.S.-nationally syndicated radio talk show Loveline on 19 April 2004. In October 2005, a month before the album One Way Ticket to Hell... And Back was to be officially released, Hawkins won an eBay auction for a copy of One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back for £350 under the username 'turbogunhawk'. He claimed he did this so that he could track down whoever sold the digitally-marked advance copy of the album and try to prevent it from happening again. "One Way Ticket", the first single from their second album, was released on 14 November 2005, debuting and peaking at number 8 on the UK Singles chart. The album itself was released on 28 November 2005, to somewhat mixed reviews. The album was produced by rock producer Roy Thomas Baker, best known for his work with Queen. Early sales figures in the UK showed the album had not sold as well its predecessor, Permission to Land. The album debuted at no. 11, and fell to number 34 in the second week of its release. Although it went on to achieve platinum status, this was in stark contrast with their debut's five times platinum status.
The second single taken from their second album was "Is It Just Me?", released on 20 February 2006. The single gained a preliminary position of No. 6 all that week, but finally charted at number 8. Hawkins announced when on stage that their third single to be released from the album was "Girlfriend". Released 22 May, "Girlfriend" charted at number 39. The band followed up their second album with a tour of the UK and Ireland, consisting of 12 dates in the major cities. The tour opened in Dublin's Point Depot on 4 February and closed in the Nottingham Arena on 20 February. Few of the venues sold out, their appeal seemingly having become more selective. Their world tour, which followed, arrived in Australia and Japan after touring Scandinavia and Continental Europe in March. In October 2006, Hawkins left the Darkness. Although drug and alcohol problems were initially cited as the main reason, later on national television, Hawkins would claim that he had grown tired of the constant routine of the band, recording and promoting an album, going on tours for months, back in the studio, etc. which he considered "monotonous and boring" and "could not understand how bands like the Rolling Stones could sustain it". For his time with the Darkness, Hawkins placed at number 35 on Spin's list of the greatest frontmen of all time. In 2011 the band reunited and toured Europe, Asia and North America throughout 2011 and 2012 in support of their new album Hot Cakes. They then released Last Of Our Kind in 2015. The band returned in 2017 with Pinewood Smile, their first album to come through Cooking Vinyl. Ahead of the album's announcement, The Darkness toured Europe in support of Guns N' Roses and played a number of festivals in the UK and Europe during the summer. In 2018, they released their Live At Hammersmith album. 2019 saw the Darkness release the album Easter Is Cancelled on 4 October; the album charted in the top 10 in the UK. In January 2020, The Darkness released a new video for "In Another Life", which featured model Abbey Clancy. The track then made the BBC Radio 2 B-List.
