I’m sure people will listen to it and relate, or at least understand.

Celebrity dating… Have you ever had a famous star come on to you?
Sadly not, I tend to chase them! I attended the Danish Music Awards recently and found myself lusting and chasing after Kylie Minogue – along with 500 other men I’m sure! I must admit though that I do prefer to date people and have friends who aren’t in the business. Sure, it is hard to trust ‘normal’ people at first and I do sometimes think, “what’s your motive?” when they approach me, but I won’t let it overrule my mind and ruin things. I try to stay grounded. Yeah I definitely like to keep things real. Just because I’m a singer in the limelight, it doesn’t mean I have to date a fellow star. I believe I’m just a normal, down-to-earth guy. I’m nothing special. If someone came up to me in the street and said they found me attractive but then they knew who I was, I reckon I’d be pretty disappointed at that. I don’t want people to date me because I perform on stage for a living; I want them to like Darren for Darren. Nothing else.

How are you finding your trip to the UK so far?
I’m here for a three-week promotional tour and so far it’s been a pretty amazing experience for me and I’ve really enjoyed doing the rounds of TV, radio shows and gigs. This is probably the hardest I’ve ever worked, even compared to the days when I was in Savage Garden. But I don’t mind long hours and 4.30am starts because I’m passionate about the job. I’ve been making an effort to sing live and perform acoustically with this single so that people can see that I can sing live and because it makes the experience far more enjoyable for me too. The single has had a great reaction from UK audiences so far, and fingers crossed, it’ll be a success.

You immediately knocked out 35 solo songs as soon as you left Savage Garden…
I guess I was bursting with enthusiasm! I just had all these great song ideas in my head and so I penned the tracks quickly one by one. The great thing about Savage Garden was that we had this incredible collaboration and we did work together really well. But although I enjoyed my time being in the band, it’s still far more exciting being a solo performer because of the total freedom. So when I went solo, I’d go through my music collection and find all these great old soul records that would give me inspiration for a song, so I’d sit down and write it straight away, without the worry of having to please someone else. Suddenly there was no holding me back; I literally churned out track after track! And I’m thrilled about that, I’ve selected 12 from the 35 to go onto my new album Spin.

What can we expect from Spin?
The album is very true to the music I grew up listening to – such as Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson and Smokey Robinson. When I was young and first getting turned on by music, it was their material that I got excited about and jumped up and down to. Aside from some strings and the odd bit of guitar, I’ve used no live instruments on the album; I’ve used electronic music. But nonetheless I’ve really tried to inject some soul into each and every track. I’ve worked damned hard on the album and I’m immensely proud of it. The songs reflect subjects such as sexual desire, betrayal and various other romantic and relationship situations.

What are the differences between your solo material and the stuff Savage Garden produced?
That’s a tough question, as it’s hard to pinpoint major differences other than that I believe my stuff is spicier and sexier! Yes my selling line is that my solo album is spicy and has hips!

Do you think Savage Garden’s fans will like it?
I’ll just have to wait and see how the album sells. I’m guessing that I’ll win some fans and I’ll lose some. I’m sure there are some fans who will move on and start getting into another band rather than me as a solo artist. But hopefully for all of the Savage Garden fans I lose, I’ll make a whole new heap of new ones. However, so far the support has been brilliant from the old fans. I have the same voice as when I was in Savage Garden and the same sort of emotional sentiment goes into my songwriting. My solo material sounds new and fresh and it’s certainly more adventurous, but I’m sure it will still appeal to the majority of Savage Garden’s fans.

Savage Garden sold over 30 million albums. Will you be upset if your solo album doesn’t do as well?
I can’t deny that I’ll be devastated if the album flops – not because I want to make heaps of money. I’ve made a lot of money from Savage Garden so I don’t need to make money from my solo stuff. I am doing this purely because I love making music, I was born to entertain and sing. I want to do this until I simply can’t walk anymore. The main reason I’d like my own album to be a success is so that I can feel proud of what I’ve done and know that I’ve brought a little bit of joy into people’s lives.

So how loaded are you then?
Oooh that’s a loaded question. Let’s put it this way, I’ve done OK and I live a good life. I own a nice house and can pay my bills. But I don’t take money for granted and it doesn’t mean everything to me. I come from a poor family and so I know I can survive without millions in the bank. I’m not a miser but I’m not a show-off with cash either. I don’t have to wear designer clothes. Today I’m wearing a cheap Casio watch, a £100 jacket from Carnaby Street and a 20 dollar pair of trainers. The money I’ve earned from being a musician is a lucky bonus in my eyes. I’ve found more joy from actually doing and experiencing the job rather than the material gains. People that let money rule their world are quite sad. It’s more valuable and important to concentrate on being a good person than be led by cash.

Is it weird, though, not having Daniel Jones there now?
To be honest I felt kind of alone towards the end of Savage Garden anyway, especially on the last big tour we did. I was always pretty much the ‘face’ of the band – I did all the press interviews and posed for more pictures, etc. Daniel would deal with official stuff behind the scenes and I’d do the more popstar-ish work, I guess. Therefore having to deal with the promotional work for my debut solo single isn’t a worry – it’s really nothing new. The only thing that may feel weird is if I do a solo tour and decide to sing a Savage Garden song. To be up on stage, look around and not see Daniel there may throw me a bit. But I’ll cope!

Why, did Savage Garden split?
There was no big fall out. We just realised that we were both two different people who wanted different things from being in the music industry. Daniel didn’t want the fame or the buzz or being up on stage as much as I did and still do. He was content being in the background and spending time in the studio away from the limelight. I’ve got to hand it to Daniel, he is an amazing businessman and he knows what he wants. When he first met me, he saw potential for a band and he planned for Savage Garden to be a massive success and it was. But at the end of the day, he didn’t enjoy the fame. He didn’t want to be a ‘star’. In the end I literally had to drag him to press conferences and gigs. The fans were confused and didn’t understand why a duo wasn’t a duo and I didn’t enjoy letting them down or making excuses for Daniel. It became clear that Daniel didn’t want to be part of such a huge, publicly known band any more. He really didn’t want to be on bedroom walls. So we sat down and made an amicable decision to part. Daniel is incredibly talented and I truly wish him the best.

Do you like the idea of being on bedroom walls then?
In terms of being adored and fancied by fans, I actually find myself laughing at the idea quite a lot. Whenever someone stops me and asks to take my photo or for my autograph, it still takes me by surprise, because I still see myself as the same old Darren I was years and years ago. I don’t think I’m anyone special and I certainly don’t walk around thinking “hey I’m a star”. Yes, when I’m on stage, I do easily gain confidence and become a bit larger than life, but that doesn’t happen off stage. I don’t need the adoration off stage to be honest because I’m quite a private person.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to relax at home and watch movies. I also enjoy doing yoga; it’s good for you mentally as well as physically. Oh, and I do love to cook (I’m getting better) and go exploring.

Darren Hayes’ excellent debut album Spin, featuring the hit single Insatiable is out now! Big thanks to Channel 5’s Pepsi Chart Show.