Darren Hayes

Darren Hayes
Darren Hayes, 2006
Background information
Birth name	Darren Stanley Hayes
Born	(1972-05-08) 8 May 1972 (age 44) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Genres	Pop, pop rock, electronica
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Roadshow (1993–1995) Columbia (1996–2005) Powdered Sugar (2006–2011) Universal Music Australia (2011–present) EMI Records UK/Europe (2011–present)
Associated acts	Savage Garden
Website	www.darrenhayes.com

Darren Stanley Hayes (born 8 May 1972) is an Australian singer-songwriter, comedian, and podcaster. Hayes was the frontman and singer of the pop duo Savage Garden until its breakup in 2001, whose 1997 album 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 sold more than 23 million albums worldwide before parting ways in 2001.

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 marked a change of direction for the singer-songwriter, showing experimentation with electronica and darker lyrics. 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).