Jack Johnson enjoying at Bluesfest, Byron Bay

Singer-songwriter Jack Johnson may simply be the kind of artist all of us want proper now.

Self-deprecating, considerate and simply so … darned good, he seems like an antidote to a world getting darker by the day.

Even then, I’ve to ask, can the man who has given us the soundtrack to 1,000,000 seaside events and yard barbecues at all times be this mellow? For example, he should often lose it with the children (he has three together with his spouse and faculty sweetheart, Kim Baker) like the remainder of us?

“No – I’m at all times chill,” he says over Zoom from his residence in Oahu, Hawaii. “I’m only a regular man. It’s not an act.”

It’s a modest sincerity that has resonated together with his thousands and thousands of followers – he’s bought a staggering 25 million albums since 2001, the yr he acquired his massive break at Bluesfest. Subsequent yr, he returns to headline the pageant.

Johnson remembers that first Byron Bay gig. “We’d been on tour with Ben Harper all yr. We acquired fortunate sufficient to get the invite and I believe Ben put the great phrase in for us and acquired us a extremely good slot,” he says.

“As much as that time, I’d solely performed little golf equipment, typically half full. Then I’d opened for Ben Harper, so I used to be simply getting warmed as much as the thought of even enjoying in entrance of individuals. Hastily, I acquired this gig that no one ought to have the ability to play that early of their profession. However fortunately, it was a bunch of surfers and it felt like full help from my very own group.”

Johnson was browsing virtually earlier than he might stroll and that zeal for using waves has outlined his life ever since. Aged simply 17, he was the youngest board rider to compete within the finals of the Pipeline Masters. Shortly after that, a severe accident within the water put an finish to his ambitions to surf professionally.

“I used to be flirting with somewhat skilled profession as plenty of youngsters in Hawaii do,” he says. “It was enjoyable however I used to be by no means a lot of a aggressive surfer. That was the height of my profession [the Masters] and it was all downhill from there.”

Regardless of that, browsing stays his No.1 ardour.

“If I needed to selected one factor I might solely do in a day, it could be browsing,” he says. “It’s only a pure love factor that I can at all times escape to.”

He describes music as his “second-favourite passion”.

“Once I say passion, I don’t imply to belittle it in any respect,” he says. “A passion may be actually lovely. It’s what I needed to spend all my time doing, however I by no means dreamt it could be a profession.”

His first album, Brushfire Fairytales, was launched in 2001 and, sometimes, his expectations have been fairly low.

“Once I acquired to make that album, it was a dream come true,” he says. “I bear in mind saying to my spouse that I didn’t care whether or not lots of people heard it, I simply needed the album to be someone’s favorite. Then when the album got here out and form of went past that [it has since sold more than 2 million copies], I couldn’t consider it.”

After 20 years and numerous gigs, Johnson has established himself as a supreme stage performer, which is a far cry from the early days when he would ask himself, “can I do that?“, each time he began a gig.

“It’s not a query you ask with any humility, it’s extra identical to, ‘can I actually do that? Am I going to move out up there? Am I going to simply overlook all my phrases?’” he says.

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“However over time, you get to the purpose the place you already know it’s going to be high-quality. When you be taught that something can occur and so long as you’re having a very good time that evening, that’s all that actually issues. Some gigs can be higher than others. Some gigs, you’ll nail all the pieces. Some gigs, you’ll play actually sloppy, however man, the vitality from the group is nice, and it saves the present.”

Whereas Johnson’s best-known songs – Banana Pancakes, Higher Collectively and Upside Down – all share an upbeat, optimistic vibe, it could be unsuitable to characterise him as a relentless Pollyanna.

He has lengthy campaigned on environmental points and music schooling, donating generously to those and different causes. At every venue, he showcases native not-for-profit teams, encouraging followers to enroll. Voter registration in the USA is one other situation near his coronary heart.

“We’ve at all times been lively with voter registration at our exhibits and attempting to voice issues about being concerned within the political course of,” he says. “I believe that’s vital but it surely’s additionally actually vital to know that’s not the one reply. You can too work in your personal group and hopefully encourage others to do the identical.”

Johnson is a daily customer to Australia – he typically “sneaks” right here when he’s not enjoying – and is wanting ahead to hanging out with mates and catching some waves.

And, as standard, he’ll additionally do his share of breakfast obligation on tour. Are banana pancakes nonetheless on the menu?

“In fact they’re,” he says. “That lyric was actual – we made them on a regular basis and my youngsters nonetheless need them.”

Jack Johnson performs Bluesfest, Byron Bay, on March 29.