Savage Garden’s Darren Hayes Says ‘Making Authentically Queer Music’ Saved His Life

Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones launched the music duo Savage Garden in 1993. After the duo disbanded in 2001, Hayes continued on as a solo artist. In a recent op-ed for HuffPost and an interview with People Magazine, Hayes discussed how important it has been for him to make “authentically queer music.”

Darren Hayes is focusing on ‘making authentically queer music’

On July 1, Hayes published an op-ed for HuffPost about his time as a member of Savage Garden, his mental health, and his sexuality.

“Despite the progress I was making with my mental health, the beginning of my solo career in the United States was tarnished with homophobia…,” Hayes wrote for HuffPost. “I learned there were fears that audiences would think I was ‘too gay’ and that my image needed to be completely overhauled so as not to scare off fans.”

Since then, Hayes writes that his focus in the present day is on “making authentically queer music.”

“It’s now 2022. I’m proudly out, I’ve been married to my husband, Richard, for 17 years and I’m making authentically queer music and intentionally doing all the things I had been discouraged from doing earlier in my career,” he wrote in his HuffPost op-ed.

Hayes added, “Because I have embraced myself fully in my art, I no longer feel the shame and stigma around my sexuality or my mental health.”

Darren Hayes thinks making new music ‘saved’ his ‘life’

In 2013, Hayes took a break from making music. He returned to releasing solo music in January 2022 with the single “Let’s Try Being in Love.”

Since releasing “Let’s Try Being in Love,” Hayes has also dropped two new singles: “Do You Remember?” and “Poison Blood.”

In an interview with People Magazine, Hayes shared that he thinks making new music has “saved” his “life.”

“I would say my new album honestly saved my life,” the artist told People Magazine. “I was in a dark place, emotionally, not understanding that just like my sexuality, my creative outlet is a huge part of the person I am and by denying that, I was denying an essential part of me.” 

Why the singer-songwriter returned to music

After years away from the spotlight as a musician, Hayes is back releasing music on his terms. The Australian singer-songwriter decided to return to music because of authenticity.

“I realized that I had never truly been myself at the height of my fame and commercial success,” he told People Magazine. “It would have been a huge regret of mine to have retired from the public eye without having come back to the world as my true authentic self.”

In addition to releasing new music, Hayes will also return to touring and will be putting on the “Do You Remember?” Tour in 2023.