He shot to stardom as the frontman and singer of Aussie pop duo Savage Garden, dominating music charts across the globe, with number-one hits such as I Knew I Loved You, The Animal Song, and Truly Madly Deeply.
But despite the band disbanding for good in 2001, Darren Hayes has continued to ride a wave of success, with a few setbacks here and there.
WATCH NOW: Savage Garden performs ‘Truly Madly Deeply.’ Article continues after video.
After saying sayonara to Savage Garden, Darren went on to release chart-topping solo albums Spin (2002), Tension and Spark (2004) before departing Columbia Records in 2006 to start up his own independent label – Powdered Sugar.
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From there, Darren released two more solo albums – The Delicate Thing We’ve Made (2007) and Secret Codes and Battleships (2011) – before taking a decade-long hiatus, returning to the music scene with his fifth solo studio album Homosexual (2022).
He also launched a comedy podcast in 2015 – The He Said He Said Show – with comedian Tim Stanton which lasted a season.
And in June 2022, Darren took to his Instagram to reveal that he was working alongside Penguin Books to write a memoir.
“I’ve been secretly telling stories about my life, through my music, since the very first Savage Garden single,” Darren captioned his announcement post.
“Back then my innermost thoughts were shrouded in lyrical metaphor and deeply embedded within the visuals and stage costumes of a fantastical pop career.”
“The reality of my life was much more complicated than the constraints of a 3-minute radio song would allow,” he continued.
“Almost 30 years later I feel free for the first time in my life and so grateful to partner with Penguin to truly tell my authentic story.”
Why did Savage Garden split up?
Over the years, Darren has spoken candidly about why the band will “never, ever” get back together, referencing their time in Savage Garden as a “marriage of sorts.”
“The thing with a band is it really is a marriage, Darren told news.com.au in 2015.
“In our case, we had a marriage that ended in divorce. People don’t get married by accident and they don’t get divorced by accident. There are reasons why musical relationships are magical and those same reasons are sometimes why they can’t last.”
Guitarist, keyboardist, and vocalist Daniel Johns reportedly left the band in an attempt to escape the trappings of fame.
“The one thing I never wanted Darren to think was that it was personal against him,” Daniel said of his decision to leave in a rare interview.
“My decision of walking away from the limelight wasn’t directed towards anyone but my own self and my own happiness.
“Years later, I don’t miss that lifestyle.”
Despite not being on direct speaking terms, the duo does still speak fondly of each other.
“We still have a lot of respect for each other,” Daniel says.
“We don’t really have a relationship anymore because of the distance, he’s moved on and I’ve moved on, but we still have a great respect for one another.”
“I still hear him speaking highly of me and that is reciprocated.”
During an appearance on the Kyle and Jackie O show in 2022, Darren made the shocking admission that he “would have been in that band forever” if it weren’t for Daniel leaving.
“His leaving was a huge rug pulled out from under me,” he added.
“It affected my career and my life. [Going solo] wasn’t a planned thing.”
Who is Darren Hayes dating?
In July 2005, Darren ‘married’ his British-born husband Richard Cullen, entering into a civil partnership.
They were then officially married eight years later in 2013 after applying for a marriage license in California.
Unfortunately after 17 years of marital bliss together, Darren confirmed his separation from Richard in May 2023, writing that their union had “gently and beautifully come to rest.”
“There’s no scandal to report, no infidelity, guilty or third party. It’s just life. We adore each other and always will. We view our marriage as our greatest collaboration,” Darren wrote.
“Nobody can ever take what we achieved together. We are still best friends. We always will be.”
Does Darren Hayes have any kids?
Unfortunately, fatherhood hasn’t come easily to Darren, the music icon letting that personal goal for his life fall by the wayside.
“You know it’s a bit sad,” Darren admitted to The Pink News in 2012.
“I can go back and find interviews where I was desperate to be a dad. I’ve slowly changed over time. I would have loved being a father, but unfortunately or fortunately I’ve gotten to the point where I can’t imagine it in my future anymore.”
“Sometimes that makes me sad because I think some lucky kid out there would have been spoiled rotten – I know I would have been a great dad,” he added sadly.
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