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Savage Garden singer goes it alone
As the vocal half of the Australian duo Savage Garden, Darren Hayes found success right
out of the box. He and multi-instrumentalist/arranger Daniel Johns scored back-to-back
Number One hits with "To the Moon and Back" and "Truly Madly Deeply,"
from their self-titled 1997 debut. Their second album, 1999's Affirmation, lived up to its
title, scoring another Number One with "I Knew I Loved You."
Twenty million records sold later, Savage Garden have parted ways, and Hayes has struck
out on his own with his debut solo record, Spin. While Hayes is hopeful that the public
will embrace his new album, he has no pretense of being treated with kid gloves. "I
have to do everything a brand new artist would do to promote a record," Hayes says.
How do you like being a solo act vs. being in a duo?
I like it, but it's busier. There's a lot more work to do. At this same time, there are
more rewards. It's like I'm risking more. I had so much more musical involvement then I
ever did before in terms of producing and A&R, choosing singles and marketing.
Are you the kind of person who always seeks new challenges?
I'm starting to think so. Savage Garden was amazing. We sold 20 million records, and it
was king of easy. We were very innocent about our intentions and what we wanted to do. And
I can give one or two reasons why the band split up: 1) We were a little bit bored with
the challenge, and 2) musically, we obviously wanted to do different things with out
lives. I wanted to continue on, and Daniel wanted to take a backseat and produce records.
So, I think we've both chosen more challenging phases of our career.
Are you concerned people won't recognize your name and not pick up Spin?
I figured I'm a brand new artist. Who knew who Michelle Branch was when she started? Even
though this is my third album from a musical standpoint, to a lot of people I'm a brand
new artist.
What was it like working with new songwriting partners?
I'm a very emotional person. And within the context of a songwriting partnership, I need
to feel safe and that I can be myself. I was very spoiled because I'd written everything
with Daniel for eight, nine years. I'd never experimented with anybody else. Rick Nowels
is someone I'd always wanted to work with since I was a kid. When I saw his name on the
Madonna's Ray of Light record, I knew there was an emotional quality to what he did. We
had an instant rapport. Everything we wrote was very fluid, emotional and close to the
bone. Walter [Afanasieff] brings a level of sophistication, and he has a level of
musicality which is almost genius level, to be honest. We were catalysts for one another.
I was constantly trying to rough him up, and he was trying to smooth me out. And the other
young songwriters used to work for Walter. They had a punk-like attitude, because they had
nothing to lose.
Why are there three hidden tracks on the CD that you have to go online to hear?
I wrote thirty-five songs for the album. I didn't use a lot of them. I'm releasing them as
B-sides with the singles. I kept my three favorites for the album to unlock. I wanted my
fan base to have access to that music, because I know I'll never record those songs
proper. When I start a new record it will be from scratch. I'm a fan of other prolific
artists like Prince and U2, so I love finding rare recordings. I wanted to give that to my
fans.
What do you think of the current pop scene compared to when Savage Garden first hit the
scene?
It's on a downward slide. When we first emerged it was first coming back, and it wasn't
cool to like pop. There was a confusion with boy bands and fabricated pop music. I
remember thinking, "This is such bad timing." I thought of us as the Eurythmics,
and suddenly there were synchronized boy wonders. I was glad we couldn't dance for shit
and wrote our music, so we couldn't be confused with that [laughs]. Definitely pop music
came back. It's cyclic. People are searching for more substance. I don't know if that's a
result of September 11th, but I know it's shifted. Two things I wanted to put in my music
were a sense of joy and celebration and some substance. I'm always going to love pop music
-- the melodies and the production of that, but I was left cold by the content. It's
getting back to the basics now and making an album that translates better when performed
live.
You've said the song "Crush" is your favorite. Will it be the next single after
"Strange Relationship"?
Maybe. I'm shooting the video for it for the rest of the world. I'm going to Australia
right now shooting the videos for "Strange Relationship" and "Crush,"
because in some markets, like Japan, it's a very topical genre, and it's a little
Kylie-esque. It would make sense as a single, but I don't know if America could handle
that song. I don't know if they're ready for that jelly [laughs]. I love
"Crush." It's fun and infectious, and at this stage anything goes. It's
difficult to navigate American radio. At the moment it's all Ja Rule and Lincoln Park, so
where does Darren Hayes fit in? I'm having fun almost saying, "Ha Ha, you can't peg
me." It's all like a game of chess.
How did director Alek Keshishian get involved with the directing the video for
"Insatiable" and shooting the cover artwork for Spin?
By accident. I'm friend's with Christopher Ciccone. He invited me to a party at [Los
Angeles restaurant] Atlantic. I was standing there talking to someone about a hair
disaster I'd had. I used to dye my hair black before I grew it and decided to go and get
it back to it's natural color, blonde. Christopher, being the brother of Madonna, said
"I've got the place for you." If anyone knows how to go from black to blonde in
sixty seconds it's Madonna. So Christopher gave me her colorist's number. They turned my
hair pumpkin orange! I freaked out, went to the drug store, spent eight dollars on dye to
turn it black again. I walked into this party at the same moment the hairdresser who had
spent all day dying my hair pumpkin orange did. He looked at me, pointed at my black hair
and asked what happened. And at that moment Alek Keshishian walked in the door. I was
explaining this drama and trying to politely get out of the fact I just spent a gazillon
dollars only to run to Duane Reade and dye it back. And Alek thought it was hilarious. He
turned around and said, "Hi, I'm Alek." Being a big fan of Truth or Dare, I
recognized him and said, "You're Alek Keshishian." He asked me how I knew to
pronounce his name correctly. I said "I don't know," and we've been great
friends ever since.
You are turning thirty this year. Has that made you re-evaluate your life?
Yeah, it has brought a lot of questions about lifestyle and the quality of my life. The
concept of family -- maybe being a father one day, having roots and settling down are
definitely things I'm entertaining in my mind. I'm not so desperate about my career
anymore. I'm working harder then I ever have before and I'm more passionate about music,
but I don't feel like there's got to be this tradeoff -- like it can either be a career or
a personal life. I want balance. Even if I didn't sell as many records, it wouldn't bother
me because I don't feel the urgency I used to.
On the track "Good Enough" you seem very secure with who you are now. Was there
a key turning point for you?
It's been a gradual process that began with yoga. Turning
thirty and re-inventing myself as an ambitious solo artist, I was spoiled before hiding
behind the name of the band, all those things conspired to make me look at who I am and
say -- you know what? You're all right. You may not have Brad Pitt's abs but that's OK
[laughs]. I realized I'm a good person. I have some things other people want, and other
people have some things I want. At the end of the day everything I am is everything I
should be.
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