It's All Silent in the Garden |
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A rift has developed between the two former members of Savage Garden, to the point where Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones no longer speak to each other.
The duo sold 20 million albums together but they have not met despite a homecoming visit from Hayes. "We're not in each other's lives at the moment," confirmed Hayes, who flew to Queensland yesterday after filming a video clip in Sydney for his debut solo single Insatiable. "I won't see Daniel when I'm in Brisbane. It's a time for moving on.'' Hayes's admission came despite claims from the band's manager John Woodruff that the pair remain "good friends" and still speak over the phone regularly. But Hayes said he has no contact with Jones, and was relieved to move on from the Savage Garden split after being forced to keep silent about it for months. "For contractual reasons I wasn't allowed to talk about it," he said. "I think the people who buy your records deserve to know the truth. But I could have been sued if my record company thought the band had split." Hayes is so determined to rid himself of his Savage Garden image he has grown his hair and stopped dyeing it his trademark black, to the point where most fans don't recognise him. "My hair is symbolic of where I'm at in my life," he said. "I'm very comfortable in my own skin. I don't have to be in character any more." Hayes is now permanently based in San Francisco. "Initially no-one wants you to change," he said. "Savage Garden sold 20 million records, why would people want half of that? It was even suggested I should become Savage Garden featuring Darren Hayes, but no, this is a totally new thing." The singer will release his debut album Spin early next year after writing songs on his own for the first time. "I was very nervous when I was first writing songs apart from Daniel, because I had never written a song with anyone other than him ... sometimes it was terrifying," Hayes said. "But then I got a taste for it." Hayes was happy to compare Savage Garden to Wham! - the 1980s duo formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley - who found global fame as pop stars before enduring a bitter split. "I think it's definitely a worthy comparison," Hayes said. |