An Australian music star has revealed he gave up his life in Los Angeles after surviving a drive-by shooting.
Jon George, member of the popular dance group Rüfüs Du Sol, was almost killed when he and his bandmates were innocently caught in the crossfire.
‘There [was] like six shots right in front of my face… and that was me just saying ‘Okay, I think I’m done with this town for a while,'” he recalled during an appearance on Nova’s Smallzy’s operation on Wednesday.
Interviewed with fellow Rüfüs Du Sol members James Hunt and Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon relived the terrifying moment and explained how it changed his life.
He said the shooting was “absolutely” one of the reasons he and bandmate James left Los Angeles and settled in Miami, while Tyrone headed to San Diego.
“Holy sh**,” said host Ken “Smallzy” Small after hearing Jon’s dramatic story.
‘Yes [the drive-by] It was enough for me to say, ‘let’s change it,’ George replied.
Smallz added: “I don’t think people in Australia understand how crazy it is in certain parts of America… it’s like the Wild West.”
Australian music star Jon George of popular dance group Rüfüs Du Sol has revealed he has stopped living in Los Angeles after being met with a hail of bullets during a drive-by shooting. Pictured: Jon (center) with band members Tyrone Lindqvist (L) and James Hunt (R)
Formed in 2010, Rüfüs Du Sol rose to fame in 2013 when their debut album Atlas reached number one in Australia.
They later scored an Aria award for best dance release in 2015 for their single You Were Right.
In 2022, the trio took home a prestigious Grammy Award for best dance/electronic recording for their song Alive.
The band recently received four nominations at the 2024 Aria Awards, including Best Dance/Electronica Release, Best Video, Best Australian Live Act and Best Group.
The keyboardist made the comments during a performance at Nova’s Smallzy’s Surgery on Wednesday
Meanwhile, another Australian favourite, Kylie Minogue, picked up five ARIA nominations.
The pop legend, 56, has received critical acclaim in five different categories, including two of the top gongs: album of the year and best solo artist.
Her big hit album Tension is also nominated for best pop release, while the title single is also in the running for song of the year.
In the best solo artist category, Kylie is up against major Australian stars including The Kid LAROI, Tones and I, Troye Sivan and Dom Dolla.
She will also compete against Amy Shark, Angie McMahon, Royel Otis and Troye in the album of the year category.
The huge achievement comes after Kylie confirmed she will embark on a 10-date Australian tour and release a new album, titled Tension II.