INXS originally began with the band name of The Farriss Brothers since 3 of the bands members were brothers, Andrew Farriss (guitar), Tim Farriss (lead guitar) and Jon Farriss (drums). They formed in 1977 in their native country Australia and played local hot spots building a strong fan base with Michael Hutchence as the lead singer. In 1979, the band changed their name to INXS and released their self-titled debut in 1980. INXS gained more fans in Australia but kept on going releasing a second album in 1981, Underneath the Colours and a third album in 1982 which was released worldwide. It wasn’t until their 1985 breakthrough album, Listen Like Thieves, that INXS gained popularity in the US and UK, with two hit singles “This Time,” and “What You Need” both reaching the top ten in the charts.

INXS then began touring the world and set the stage for their ever more successful album, 1987’s Kick with four top ten hits, including the number one song “Need You Tonight.” Throughout the 80’s and 90’s, INXS was extremely popular in both Australia and the rest of the world. Tragedy was not far away however. In 1997, lead singer Michael Hutchence was found dead in his hotel room leaving quite an empty space for the rest of the band. Several famous singers filled the spot, like Terrence Trent D’Arby, Suze DeMarchi and Jimmy Barnes. It wasn’t until news came in 2004 of a new reality series titled Rock Star: INXS that a permanent lead singer came about for the band.

The success of Rock Star has put INXS back on the map internationally and on September 20, 2005, J.D. Fortune was crowned the winner and became the new lead singer for INXS. Now INXS concert tickets are flying off the shelves as they embark on an international tour and hit the studio for their debut album. The competition also gained INXS a new fan base that may last the band for another 20 years. Everyone hopes that the Farriss brothers are up to the challenge.