Jimmy Barnes Unveils First Two 'DEFIANT' Singles

Yesterday (23 February), Jimmy Barnes announced his 21st album, DEFIANT, and an Australian tour in support of his new music.

Today, he’s unveiled the first two singles from the album, New Day and Beyond The River Bend, with the former featuring Troy Cassar-Daley and Laurel Edwards in the music video. You can check out both tracks below.

Barnes, born the son of a Scottish boxing champion, has been dealt with significant blows throughout his life from his childhood. He went on to sing in Cold Chisel as the band fought tooth and nail to survive in the music industry. There’s been his illustrious solo career, in which DEFIANT follows his 2022 festive album, Blue Christmas, and 2021’s Flesh And Blood.

In between Blue Christmas and DEFIANT, Jimmy Barnes spent time in the hospital. At first, he was treated for a bacterial infection before undergoing open-heart surgery due to the infection having spread and impacting an already-impacted valve.

From drug and alcohol addiction to health issues, including his recent hip surgery, Barnes has always been a fighter, and that’s what inspired DEFIANT.

The Working Class Man singer states, “Nobody lives this long without copping some knocks, and I’ve taken my fair share, particularly lately. But none of us can control what life throws at us. We can only control how we respond, and, for better or worse, I’ve never liked to take a backward step.

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“It’s no secret that this has caused me some problems over the years, but I’ve finally learned how to turn my stubborn Scottish streak into something positive – something that helps me survive. I didn’t set out to do it deliberately, but now that the album is finished, I can see there’s a recurring theme about the satisfaction you can get from fighting back. That’s why it’s called DEFIANT!”

DEFIANT will be released on Friday, 6 June, via Mushroom Music. You can pre-order the album on vinyl or pre-save it here.

Barnes will tour Australia with his nine-piece band to celebrate the new album this June. The DEFIANT tour follows Cold Chisel's recent The Big Five-O Australian tour, which sold over 150,000 tickets and celebrated 50 years of pioneering Aussie rock music.

You can find more ticketing information on the Frontier Touring website.

Presented by Frontier Touring, MG Live, ANZ & Triple M