Reading boy Danyl Johnson rocketed to fame on The X Factor 2009 with his version of Joe Cocker’s With a Little Help from My Friends which has since become a YouTube sensation with over 48 million views.
His success on the show led to several tours of Europe and collaborations in the US. He also went on to appear in season four of the hit television show, Benidorm. Danyl has worked with some impressive songwriters and producers, both in London and Nashville, including Lucie Silvas, Tom Baxter, Marc Broussard, Marshall Altman, Rob Bolin, Budd, Jamie Kenney, Jimmy Wallace, Claire Rodrigues, Danny Kirsch and Joe Killington.
In 2017, he was a finalist on Eurovision: You Decide which was broadcast live from London’s Eventim Apollo. More recently, Danyl has been touring in the Czech Republic and, in collaboration with Czech popstar Elis Mraz, released the single Hello to Me, written by Danyl, which was later released in the UK. His most recent single, Best Thing, was released in September 2020. Danyl hosted his own radio show for BBC Berkshire and went on to create his own podcast called Best Thing. Season one is available now and features guests including Jordan Luke Gage (Bat Out of Hell, & Juliet), Jo O’Meara (S Club 7), Chinchilla (signed artist), Aaron Renfree (choreographer) and Lucie Jones (musical theatre star).
In September 2020, Danyl joined the cast of the 50th anniversary online production of Godspell to four and five-star reviews and went on to appear in the live “Drive-In” version of the show the following month. Now working with the People’s Postcode Lottery, Danyl can regularly be seen on television presenting huge cheques to winners all over the country.
Danyl is an ambassador for several charities, both local and national, including Launchpad in Reading and the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust. In 2015, Danyl was nominated and won the Community Champion award at the Pride of Reading Awards for his charity work and couldn’t be more proud to be a part of his hometown of Reading. He’s now a key member of the Pride of Reading Awards.
