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J.D. Fortune
Background information
Born	September 1, 1973 (1973-09-01) (age 34)[1]
Genre(s)	Rock New Wave
Occupation(s)	Rockstar[1]
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1999—present
Label(s)	Sony Music
Associated acts	INXS

J.D. Fortune is the stage name of Jason Dean Bennison^[1] (born September 1, 1973^[1] in Mississauga, Ontario^[1]), a Canadian rock singer, winner of the 2005 CBS reality television series Rock Star: INXS,^[1] and the current singer of Australian rock band INXS for their latest album Switch. He is the youngest member of the band.

Biography

J.D. was born in Mississauga, Ontario,^[1] and raised in Salt Springs, Pictou County, Nova Scotia.^[1] J.D. grew up listening to his grandfather sing and started performing at a very young age.^[1] He attended Cawthra Park Secondary School and West Pictou Consolidated School but dropped out before graduating.^[1] He was living in his car, under a bridge,^[1] when he applied for and was offered a job on CBS's TV show, Rock Star: INXS. Bennison is his estranged father’s name, and Fortune is his mother’s maiden name.^[1] He has a sister, Sarah-Jane, and a pug named "Presley" (after Elvis Presley).^[1]

After several years in and out of the music world, he finally began to strike gold as an original musician.^[1] Fortune drew bigger and bigger audiences, ultimately performing at the Friendship Festival and at Toronto's Skydome in front of tens of thousands of people. He also worked as an entertainer and pop songwriter for an Ontario TV show. He fronted a band named JUICe, which recorded an album named In Retrospect.

On Friday April 7, 2006, J.D. appeared on Australian radio station Triple M with fellow band member, Tim Farriss. Speaking to Triple M's morning show team, The Cage, J.D. and Tim spoke of how much acceptance they are receiving as the new INXS, especially in the United States and Canada. J.D. said that he had always dreamed of singing INXS songs in front of thousands of people where they all sing the words right back at him, but he never thought he'd see the day. J.D. sang acoustic versions of their hit single "Pretty Vegas" and "Mystify", an earlier INXS hit.

J.D. revealed that his first meeting with the brother of INXS' first lead singer, Michael Hutchence, who committed suicide, initially was a scary experience: ^[2]

"I met his brother Rhett in Australia a while ago and it wasn't pleasant. He was wearing a t-shirt saying, 'That's not my brother'. "His friend had a t-shirt which said, 'Mock Star: INXS'. I had to say something, like, 'You don't know me, I don't know you. We're just humans.'

"Something changed after that and, by the end of the night, it was a different story. Rhett took the t-shirt off and bought another one. He hugged me and said he was sorry." ^[2]

J.D. also stated his thoughts on Reality Television: "I think reality TV cheapens everything--I'm not a fan--but I tried to see past the audition process," J.D. said. "I went there because of Michael Hutchence and INXS."

"I want to pay homage to Michael, but I'm not trying to recapture the past. I'm trying to fill my own shoes."

Fortune is currently working on a solo album, The Death of a Motivational Speaker, which is expected to be released in 2008.

Personal life

Fortune currently is single. He had a brief relationship with Estella Warren after shooting the video clip for INXS's single Afterglow.

J.D. has several nicknames including "Jay", "Fame", "The Kid" and "The Sorcerer".

A long-term vegetarian^[3] and a smoker, he has worked as a martial arts teacher, Elvis impersonator,^[1] and served in the Canadian military. For a time, before seeking the role with INXS, Fortune lived and co-owned a business in Oakville, Ontario.

J.D. is a known body modifier and has over 14 tattoos ^[4], including his famous "human being" and wings tattoos on his forearms.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o} "J.D. Fortune :: Rock Star INXS :: ROCKBANDLOUNGE.COM" (bio), ROCKBANDLOUNGE.COM, April 2007, webpage: RockBL-JDF.
2. ^ ^{a b} "J.D. Fortune: "How I Won Over Hutchence Family" - October 13, 2006 MTV One U.K..
3. ^ "INXS' J.D. Fortune Wants You to Switch to Vegetarianism" (video), PETA, 2007, webpage (accessed 2007-11-12): GoVeg-JDFortune.
4. ^ "Fortune448.com - Common Qustions About JD Fortune" (faq), FORTUNE448.COM, June 2008, webpage: [1].

External links

• Official INXS website
• INXS at MySpace
• Official JD Fortune MSN page
• Exclusive tracks from The Death of a Motivational Speaker
• FAQ