Darren Stanley Hayes (born 8 May 1972) is an Australian[1]
singer-songwriter, comedian, and podcaster. Hayes was the frontman and
singer of the pop duo
Savage Garden

Savage Garden until its breakup in 2001, whose
1997 album
Savage Garden

Savage Garden peaked at No. 1 in Australia, No. 2
in United Kingdom and No. 3 in United States. It spawned the
singles "I Want You", "To the Moon and Back", and Australian and US
No. 1 "Truly Madly Deeply". The duo followed the success of their
debut album with
Affirmation (1999), which provided additional hits
such as US No. 1 "I Knew I Loved You", and Australian No. 3
"The Animal Song".
Savage Garden

Savage Garden sold more than 23 million albums
worldwide before parting ways in 2001.[2]
Hayes released his first solo album Spin in 2002. The album sold two
million copies worldwide, debuted at No. 2 in the UK and
No. 3 in Australia. It delivered the hit single "Insatiable".
Hayes's second solo album
The Tension and the Spark

The Tension and the Spark marked a change of
direction for the singer-songwriter, showing experimentation with
electronica and darker lyrics.
NME

NME wrote about its first single,
"Pop!ular" saying it was "A twistered masterclass in career
reintervention...This guy is a genius." While
The Observer said "This
album is no folly and succeeds, often to the point of all out triumph,
on its own terms." Hayes parted way with his record label Columbia
Records in 2006 and started his own independent record label, Powdered
Sugar, from which he would release his third solo album, This Delicate
Thing We've Made (2007).
In mid-2010, Hayes announced the completion of recording his fourth
solo album, Secret Codes and Battleships, featuring three songs
co-written and produced by Brian West and mixed by Robert Orton, who
is best known for working with Lady Gaga. On 17 April 2011, Hayes
signed with Mercury Records' Australian division and in August 2011
with
EMI Records

EMI Records in the UK. The album was released in Australia on 21
October 2011, 24 October in the UK and 25 October in the US, with
singles "
Talk

Talk
Talk

Talk Talk", "Bloodstained Heart", and "Black Out the
Sun" released before the album.
In 2013, Hayes relocated from London to Los Angeles, where he studied
improv sketch comedy at The Groundlings Theatre and School.[3] In
2015, he created a comedy podcast titled The He Said He Said Show. In
2016 he launched another comedic podcast - a movie review show with
co-host Anthony Armentano called ‘We Paid to See This’. Hayes
announced publicly on 13 March 2016 that he has been writing an
original musical with writer and comedian Johnny Menke.[4]
Contents
1 Early life and education
2 Music career
2.1 1993–2001: Savage Garden
2.2 2002–present: Solo career
2.2.1 2002: Spin
2.2.2 2003–2004: The Tension and the Spark
2.2.3 2005–2006:
Truly Madly Completely

Truly Madly Completely and parting ways with
Columbia
2.2.4 2007–2008: This Delicate Thing We've Made
2.2.5 2009–2010: We Are Smug
2.2.6 2011 – 2017
3 Other media
4 Personal life
5 Discography
6 References
7 External links
Early life and education[edit]
At school, Hayes was bullied and physically and verbally abused.[5]
Music career[edit]
1993–2001: Savage Garden[edit]
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Main article: Savage Garden
In 1993, Hayes answered an advertisement in a magazine, placed by
Daniel Jones, for a lead vocalist position in the band called Red
Edge. Hayes was successful, despite his voice breaking in the
audition, as he mentioned in an interview with Rosie O'Donnell. The
cover band broke up in 1994 and Hayes formed a partnership with Jones,
a duo band initially to be called Crush. However, there already
existed another band in the UK that owned the rights to the name.
Hayes and Jones submitted their first demo tape to record companies
under the name Bliss, before they eventually changed their name to
Savage Garden, a phrase used by
Anne Rice

Anne Rice to describe the world
through the eyes of
Lestat

Lestat in her novel The Vampire Lestat. The Savage
Garden is a vision of Earth in which the natural laws of the world
govern over anything aesthetic or civil.
Savage Garden

Savage Garden started recording their debut album in 1995 with
producer Charles Fisher. Their first single, "I Want You", was
released in 1996 and was the best selling single by an Australian
artist that year. The second single, "To the Moon and Back", topped
the Australian charts at the end of 1996. The third single, "Truly
Madly Deeply", was their second number one and was the best-selling
Australian single of 1997. Their debut album, Savage Garden, was the
best-selling album in Australia during 1997 and the duo won ten ARIA
awards.
Hayes moved to
New York City

New York City to promote
Savage Garden

Savage Garden internationally,
while Daniel Jones stayed in Brisbane. The move proved to be
successful, with "Truly Madly Deeply" going to the top of the American
charts in 1998. The
Savage Garden

Savage Garden album sold seven million copies in
the US on the back of this success.
In New York City, Hayes wrote Affirmation. He had recently divorced
his wife of several years. Parts of the album reflected the pain from
the end of the relationship.
Affirmation was released in 1999 and
proved to be another hit, with lead single "I Knew I Loved You" going
to number one in the United States, and the album selling six million
copies worldwide by the end of 2000. The pair played the title track
of the album at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Hayes moved to
Sausalito, California

Sausalito, California in 2000. He became the public
face of the duo, doing most of the media. Hayes announced that Savage
Garden had broken up in October 2001 during a chat with an Australian
journalist. Hayes thought the information would be saved for a later
article; it was not. When confronted with this information during the
early morning hours, before an unrelated interview, Jones denied the
break-up of the band. However, it appears that Jones did not believe
the reporter was accurately quoting Hayes and denied what he thought
was yet another breakup rumour. Still, the fact that Jones took a back
seat in all promotional activities for
Affirmation seems indicative
that Jones was not content to remain within
Savage Garden

Savage Garden as it had
operated in the past.
Savage Garden

Savage Garden had sold over 23 million albums by
that stage.
In 2005, manager of Savage Garden, John Woodruff confirmed that Jones
had announced his intention of leaving
Savage Garden

Savage Garden prior to the
promotion for Affirmation. Woodruff criticised the media for their
treatment of Hayes. The duo have never issued a united statement
regarding the situation, yet Hayes has guaranteed that the group will
"never, by any chance" reunite.
2002–present: Solo career[edit]
2002: Spin[edit]
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Hayes recorded his first solo album, Spin, which was released in 2002.
The album was produced by Walter Afanasieff, the producer of
Affirmation. Spin carried on in the same musical vein as Savage
Garden, with a less soft rock sound and more edgy R&B vibe,
although the first single "Insatiable" was a ballad, reaching Number 3
in Australia. Other singles "Strange Relationship", "Crush (1980 Me)"
and "I Miss You" also performed well in charts. The album reached the
Top 5 in Australia at Number 3, and in the UK at Number 2. It also
reached the top ten in Denmark, Sweden and Finland. In the United
States, the album failed to make the same impact as Savage Garden's
previous releases, reaching Number 35 on Billboard. It was later
re-issued with a bonus disc consisting of some live and studio tracks.
2003–2004: The Tension and the Spark[edit]
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Hayes spent two years working on his second solo album, The Tension
and the Spark. Other than the track "I Forgive You", which was
produced with Madonna collaborator Marius De Vries, the entire album
was produced by Hayes and Robert Conley (with whom he had previously
toured and recorded "Crush (1980 Me)" for Spin and "Do You Believe"
for Specificus). The album marked a bold change of direction for
Hayes. Conley's production was almost entirely electronic, with
acoustic instruments buried under walls of sequenced sounds. Although
artistically this was a huge step forward and earned Hayes the
strongest praise of his career, it alienated a large portion of his
audience, who were expecting another album of radio-friendly pop
songs. The first single, "Pop!ular", was released on 12 July 2004.
This single reached Number One on the US Dance Charts, and fared well
in the UK. Hayes' follow-up single, "Darkness", charted in the lower
regions of the ARIA top 50 charts.
One of his out-takes from the Spin sessions, "When You Say You Love
Me", was recorded by
Clay Aiken

Clay Aiken in 2003 for his Measure of a Man
album. It was later covered by Human Nature, resulting in an
Australian top 20 single in April 2004 off their Walk The Tightrope
album, and was then re-recorded in 2008 featuring Hayes himself.
2005–2006:
Truly Madly Completely

Truly Madly Completely and parting ways with
Columbia[edit]
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In 2005, Hayes recorded a track he wrote with Robert Conley called "So
Beautiful", which was included on the
Savage Garden

Savage Garden greatest hits
compilation, Truly Madly Completely: The Best of Savage Garden. The
compilation also includes a second track by Hayes called "California".
Both of these tracks harken back to Hayes' early sound, although still
retaining some of the electronic flourishes from The Tension and the
Spark.
On 9 July 2006, Hayes announced that he had parted ways with Columbia
Records after ten years and 24 million album sales together.
The tour following this release saw Hayes play the iconic Sydney Opera
House. The performance was recorded and released on a DVD entitled A
Big Night in with Darren Hayes.
2007–2008: This Delicate Thing We've Made[edit]
Hayes finished recording his third solo album, This Delicate Thing
We've Made, in 2007. The album was a double-disc, with 25 tracks. Many
of the tracks were co-written with Robert Conley, and a great deal of
the album was written with and produced by Justin Shave, who played
keyboards for part of Hayes' Time Machine tour. The album was released
on 20 August 2007 on Hayes' own independent record label, Powdered
Sugar, while the first single, "On the Verge of Something Wonderful",
was released in Australia on 28 July 2007 and in the UK and online on
6 August 2007.
On 9 April 2007, Hayes released the album track "Who Would Have
Thought" from
This Delicate Thing We've Made

This Delicate Thing We've Made as a teaser track on his
official website, as well as his MySpace profile. This was accompanied
by an animation for the song created by his partner, animator and
director, Richard Cullen. Around April 2007, remixes of the album
track "Step into the Light" were being played in clubs around the
world. The album version of "Step into the Light" was released as a
teaser on Hayes' official website and MySpace on 30 April 2007.
During the first half of 2007, Hayes performed selected songs from the
album in small, exclusive gigs around the world. Tickets for several
of these much sought after shows sold out in under ten minutes. In
June 2007, Hayes embarked on a small tour of USA and Canada, stopping
in New York, Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles, along
with the band Temposhark. The shows were well received with very
positive reviews.
On 30 June 2007, Hayes headlined the London Gay Pride at Trafalgar
Square.[6] He performed "I Want You" and "On the Verge of Something
Wonderful", as well as a medley that included "Pop!ular".
In July 2007, Hayes announced The Time Machine Tour that would start
out in the UK, and then move on to Hayes' home country Australia.
On 29 July 2007, "On the Verge of Something Wonderful" was the most
selected music video on The Box in the UK.
On 20 August 2007,
This Delicate Thing We've Made

This Delicate Thing We've Made was released in the
UK, America and Australia.
'The Time Machine Tour' included venues such as The Royal Albert Hall
and the State Theatre in Sydney. His stage was again designed by
Willie Williams and included a large bridge that could extend over the
first few rows of seats. On the final night, at the Queensland
Performing Arts Centre in Hayes' hometown of Brisbane, the performance
was recorded in HD for a DVD release. The Time Machine Tour DVD came
out in two editions: the special edition which was limited to 2000
copies and contained a four-panel, fold-out, gleaming white box, a
thirty-two page color booklet with 300 photos and notes from the
artist, and the regular edition. The special edition DVD, which was
only available from Hayes' website, was shipped to purchasers on 1
July, and the regular edition, which was available in shops, was
released on 22 July.
Hayes did a mini tour in the US in November and December 2007, making
appearances at Borders stores and performing two shows in New York
City and Philadelphia.
On 18 December 2007, Hayes announced "The Side Two Tour". The show
toured the UK in February 2008 and featured Hayes performing songs
from
This Delicate Thing We've Made

This Delicate Thing We've Made that were not featured on "The
Time Machine Tour", in a more intimate setting.
In late 2008, the DVD
This Delicate Film We've Made was announced. The
DVD featured selected songs from the album, arranged in a new
sequence, and set to visuals that told a loose, abstract animated
narrative. The DVD entered the UK music DVD charts at Number 1.
2009–2010: We Are Smug[edit]
On 19 April 2009, Hayes teased via Twitter that he was preparing
another album.[7] On 8 May, Hayes announced, via his MySpace page,
that he and Robert Conley had produced an album together titled We Are
Smug. The ten-track album, with a fair amount of experimentation with
both lyrics and music, was made available via a link from his MySpace
page, and was made free to download to gauge acceptability of Hayes's
shifting musical styles.[8] The album is heavily electronic with some
heavy beats. It also contains some explicit content. Both Hayes and
Conley share vocal duties on this album.
Hayes signed to
Sony

Sony ATV Music Publishing for a worldwide deal in
August 2009. Emma Banks from CAA UK came on board October 2009 to
represent Hayes for his touring plans around the new album.
Although the album was completed before the holidays in 2009, Hayes
announced in early 2010 that he had more song ideas and he was going
back into the studio, which delayed the album another year. Hayes
completely finished his fourth solo album in mid-2010, working with
top writer/producers from around the world and having the record mixed
by Robert Orton.
Hayes also recorded a song for the Finn tribute album He Will Have His
Way, a cover of "Not Even Close". It was released on
Halloween

Halloween 2010.
2011 – 2017[edit]
On 17 April 2011, Hayes announced that he had signed a record deal
with Mercury Records/Universal Music Australia and signed to EMI
Services UK /Europe. He released his fourth studio album in October
2011.[9][10] The first single titled "
Talk

Talk
Talk

Talk Talk" was announced in
May and was released on 24 June. The single contains a cover version
of Madonna's "Angel" as the B-side.[11]
It was announced on 20 June, via Hayes's
Facebook

Facebook page, that his new
album would be titled Secret Codes and Battleships.[12]
Hayes announced on Twitter on 22 July that he was shooting a second
music video from the album. On 14 August, he revealed in a radio
interview that "Black Out the Sun" will be the second single from
Secret Codes and Battleships. Since its release in the UK, BBC Radio 2
has selected the track to feature on their A list the week commencing
1 October 2011.[13] He later confirmed, on Twitter, that this song
will be the single for the UK and other international markets, while
"Blood-Stained Heart" would be the second single in Australia. Hayes
played dates on "The Secret" Tour in the UK and Australia beginning on
15 October in Liverpool.[14]
Hayes tweeted, on 2 March 2012, that he would be shooting another
music video the week after.[15] He later confirmed the music video was
being shot for "Stupid Mistake", which was released as the album's
fourth single in May 2012.
Other media[edit]
In December 2014, Hayes announced a comedy podcast "The He Said, He
Said Show" .[16] The podcast debuted on 10 February 2015.[4] Rosie
O'Donnell has appeared as a guest.[17] The podcast ended its run at
the end of the year. Hayes currently co-hosts a comedic movie review
podcast with writer and comedian Anthony Armentano called ‘We Paid
To See This’. Some of Hayes’ sketch comedy can be found on his
YouTube page including a
Star Wars

Star Wars spoof documentary and several of
his sketches he wrote and performed during his time studying at The
Groundlings Theatre and School. On 13 March 2016 Hayes announced he
has been writing an original musical with writer and comedian Johnny
Menke.
Personal life[edit]
Hayes married his childhood sweetheart, makeup artist Colby Taylor, in
1994.[16] They were still married when
Savage Garden

Savage Garden "skyrocketed to
fame around the globe in the late 1990s."[16] They separated in 1998
and were divorced in 2000. Much of the lyrics for the band's second
album, Affirmation, dealt with his divorce.[16] He recorded
Affirmation in San Francisco mid-1999 and eventually bought a house
there.[16] He also maintained a base in London since 2004. In 2013,
Hayes moved to Los Angeles.[3]
Hayes started coming out as gay to friends and the head of his label,
Sony, in the early 2000s.[16] He entered into a private marriage
ceremony with his boyfriend of two years, Richard Cullen, on 23 July
2005 in London. On 19 June 2006 also in London they entered into a
formal civil partnership.[17][18] Hayes and Cullen applied for a
marriage licence in California, and were married on 15 July 2013, to
show their support for those fighting for same-sex marriage
rights.[19] Hayes and Cullen currently live in the United States.
Though public speculation about his sexual orientation had been
present throughout his career, he kept his personal life private.[16]
He announced the event the day prior on his official website.[20]
Before the announcement, Cullen's name had appeared on the website as
the designer of the cover for Hayes's single "So Beautiful".
Hayes is a
Star Wars

Star Wars fan and has been since childhood. He also
collects
Star Wars

Star Wars memorabilia and he even auditioned for a role in
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.[21]
Discography[edit]
Main article:
Darren Hayes

Darren Hayes discography
Studio albums
Spin (2002)
The Tension and the Spark

The Tension and the Spark (2004)
This Delicate Thing We've Made

This Delicate Thing We've Made (2007)
We Are Smug (with Robert Conley) (2009)
Secret Codes and Battleships

Secret Codes and Battleships (2011)
References[edit]
^ Darren Hayes: Official Bio
^ "
Savage Garden

Savage Garden - The Singles - Available June 12".
^ a b "Bio - Darren Hayes".
^ "New Comedy Podcast "The He Said He Said Show" - Darren
Hayes".
^ Hayes, Darren (10 May 2012). "
Darren Hayes

Darren Hayes writes letter to his
fifteen-year-old self". News.com.au.
^
Darren Hayes

Darren Hayes to headline London Pride Archived 10 July 2007 at the
Wayback Machine., Gay.com, 30 May 2007.
^
Darren Hayes

Darren Hayes tweets a tease, twitter.com/darrenhayes, 19 Apr 2009.
^ Happy Birthday Archived 14 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine.,
MySpace, 8 May 2009.
^ "
Darren Hayes

Darren Hayes Signs To
Mercury Records

Mercury Records Australia - Undercover.fm
News". Undercover.fm. 2011-04-17. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
^ "Albums Release Diary - Music". Digital Spy. Retrieved
2012-02-14.
^ "'
Talk

Talk
Talk

Talk Talk' - June 24 worldwide release date". Facebook.
Retrieved 2012-02-14.
^ "Darren Hayes". Facebook. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
^ "Radio 2 - Playlist". BBC. 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
^ Corner, Lewis (20 July 2011).
Darren Hayes

Darren Hayes announces UK tour dates.
DS Music. Accessed 5 Oct 2011.
^ "
Darren Hayes

Darren Hayes (@darrenhayes) - Twitter".
^ a b c d e f Steele, Tyler (1 November 2006). "The Marrying Man".
Instinct. Archived from the original on 29 January 2012. Retrieved 5
February 2012.
^ Official website
^ [1]
^ "
Savage Garden

Savage Garden singer
Darren Hayes

Darren Hayes marries
Richard Cullen for third
time". News.com.au. 16 July 2013.
^ "?". The Advocate. Archived from the original on 21 July 2006.
^ "Darren Hayes: Singing Star Wars' Praises". StarWars.com. 12 March
2007. Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 8
November 2007.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Darren Hayes.
Official website
Darren Hayes

Darren Hayes on IMDb
v
t
e
Darren Hayes
Studio albums
Spin (2002)
The Tension and the Spark

The Tension and the Spark (2004)
This Delicate Thing We've Made

This Delicate Thing We've Made (2007)
Secret Codes and Battleships

Secret Codes and Battleships (2011)
Other albums
Truly Madly Completely

Truly Madly Completely (2005)
We Are Smug (2009)
Singles
"Insatiable"
"Strange Relationship"
"I Miss You"
"Crush (1980 Me)"
"Pop!ular"
"Darkness"
"So Beautiful"
"Step into the Light"
"On the Verge of Something Wonderful"
"Me, Myself and (I)"
"Who Would Have Thought"
"Casey"
"
Talk

Talk
Talk

Talk Talk"
"Black Out the Sun"
"Bloodstained Heart"
"Stupid Mistake"
Video albums
Darren Hayes

Darren Hayes – Too Close for Comfort: Tour Film
A Big Night in with
Darren Hayes

Darren Hayes Tour
The Time Machine Tour
This Delicate Film We've Made
Tours
Too Close for Comfort Tour

Too Close for Comfort Tour (2002)
The Dark + Light Tour

The Dark + Light Tour (2004)
A Big Night in with Darren Hayes Tour

A Big Night in with Darren Hayes Tour (2006)
The Time Machine World Tour
.jpg)
The Time Machine World Tour (2007)
The Side Two Tour (2008)
The Secret Tour (2011)
The Secret's Out Tour (2012)
Related topics
Discography
Savage Garden
v
t
e
Savage Garden
Darren Hayes
Daniel Jones
Studio albums
Savage Garden
Affirmation
Compilation albums
The Future of Earthly Delites
Truly Madly Deeply

Truly Madly Deeply – Ultra Rare Tracks
Ultra Hit Tracks
Affirmation: The B-Sides
Truly Madly Completely: The Best of Savage Garden
The Singles
Singles
"I Want You"
"To the Moon and Back"
"Truly Madly Deeply"
"Break Me Shake Me"
"Universe"
"All Around Me"
"Santa Monica"
"Tears of Pearls"
"The Animal Song"
"I Knew I Loved You"
"Crash and Burn"
"Affirmation"
"Chained to You"
"Hold Me"
"The Best Thing"
Video releases
Superstars and Cannonballs
Related articles
Discography
Awards and nominations
Affirmation World Tour
Authority control
WorldCat Identities
VIAF: 39579368
LCCN: no99080288
ISNI: 0000 0003 9931 3770
GND: 135050227
BNF: cb140511337 (data)
MusicBrainz: ec21de7d-2288-4640