Darren Stanley Hayes (born 8 May 1972) is a UK-based Australian singer-songwriter. On 19 June 2006, Darren Hayes entered in London into a civil partnership with his boyfriend of two years, Richard Cullen.

Hayes was the frontman and singer of the pop duo Savage Garden, whose 1997 album Savage Garden peaked at No. 1 in Australia, No. 2 in United Kingdom and No. 3 in United States. It spawned the singles "I Want You", "To the Moon and Back", and Australian and US No. 1 "Truly Madly Deeply". The duo followed the success of their debut album with Affirmation (1999), which provided additional hits such as US No. 1 "I Knew I Loved You", and Australian No. 3 "The Animal Song". Savage Garden sold more than 23 million albums worldwide before parting ways in 2001.

Hayes released his first solo album Spin in 2002. The album sold two million copies worldwide, debuted at No. 2 in the UK and No. 3 in Australia. It delivered the hit single "Insatiable". Hayes' second solo album The Tension and the Spark marked a change of direction for the singer-songwriter, showing experimentation with electronica and darker lyrics. NME wrote about its first single, "Pop!ular" saying it was "A twistered masterclass in career reintervention...This guy is a genius." While The Observer said "This album is no folly and succeeds, often to the point of all out triumph, on its own terms." Hayes parted way with his record label Columbia Records in 2006 and started his own independent record label Powdered Sugar, from which he would release his third solo album This Delicate Thing We've Made (2007).


Darren Stanley Hayes (born 8 May 1972) is a UK-based Australian singer-songwriter. On 19 June 2006, Darren Hayes entered in London into a civil partnership with his boyfriend of two years, Richard Cullen. He is famous for keeping his personal life private. He announced the event the day prior on his official website. Before the announcement Cullen's name had appeared on the website as the designer of the cover for Hayes' single "So Beautiful". Hayes and Cullen live in London.



In mid-2010, Hayes announced the completion of recording his fourth solo album, Secret Codes and Battleships, features 3 songs co-written and produced by Brian West and was mixed by Robert Orton, who is best known for working with Lady Gaga. On 17 April 2011, Hayes signed with Mercury Records' Australian division and in August 2011 with EMI Records in the UK. The album was released in Australia on 21 October 2011, 24 October in the UK and 25 October in the US, with singles "Talk Talk Talk", "Bloodstained Heart" and "Black Out the Sun" released before the album.

Including his work with Savage Garden, Hayes has sold more than 39 million albums worldwide.

Hayes married a childhood sweetheart, makeup artist Colby Taylor, in 1994. They were still married when Savage Garden "skyrocketed to fame around the globe in the late 1990s." They separated in 1998 and were divorced in 2000. Much of the lyrics for the band's second album, Affirmation, dealt with his divorce. He recorded Affirmation in San Francisco mid-1999 and eventually bought a house there. He also maintains a base in London since 2004.

Hayes was upset when Simon Amstell, an openly gay UK comedian, asked Hayes about his sexuality before he had actually been out. He was outraged by Amstell's lack of respect for his privacy, but later said that event made him realise that he needed to be honest. Hayes started coming out as gay to friends and the head of his label, Sony, in the early 2000s. He married (via a civil partnership) his boyfriend of two years, Richard Cullen, on 19 June 2006 in London. Though public speculation about his sexual orientation had been present throughout his career, he is famous for keeping his personal life private. He announced the event the day prior on his official website. Before the announcement Cullen's name had appeared on the website as the designer of the cover for Hayes' single "So Beautiful". Hayes and Cullen live in London.

Richard Cullen is a British animator, designer and director, working primarily in live music related projects.

He trained as a theatre director at the Rose Bruford College in London, and later studied film theory at the University of Westminster.

He directed and designed productions for a number of fringe and experimental theatres, including Battersea Arts Centre and the Institute of Contemporary Arts, and also worked alongside companies such as Improbable theatre, Complicite, Shared Experience, and the late Ken Campbell.

As well as directing music videos, he has created bespoke video content for concert tours, including Darren Hayes' Time Machine and DarkLight Tours, George Michael's 25 Live Tour and Symphoinca, Keane's Perfect Symmetry, Red Hot Chili Peppers 2011/2012 world tour, Elton John's 'Million Dollar Piano' residency in Las Vegas.

His work has appeared in festivals (including Hong Kong's Clockenflap), Ralph Larmann's 'Stage Design' (published by daab, and featuring his work for George Michael), and in magazines such as Digital Arts and Total Production.

In 2009, he directed and animated the Darren Hayes' DVD This Delicate Film We've Made, which entered the UK music DVD charts at #1.

Through his own studio 'Pixelfing', he often produces work for onedotzero in London, and Duck Studios in Los Angeles.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darren_Hayes

Further Readings:

It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living by Dan Savage and Terry Miller
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Plume; Reprint edition (January 25, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0452297613
ISBN-13: 978-0452297616
Amazon: It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living
Amazon Kindle: It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living

Every story can change a life.

Growing up isn't easy. Many young people face daily tormenting and bullying, and this is especially true for LGBT kids and teens. In response to a number of tragic suicides by LGBT students, syndicated columnist and author Dan Savage uploaded a video to YouTube with his partner, Terry Miller. Speaking openly about the bullying they suffered, and how they both went on to lead rewarding adult lives, their video launched the It Gets Better Project YouTube channel and initiated a worldwide phenomenon.

It Gets Better is a collection of original essays and expanded testimonials written to teens from celebrities, political leaders, and everyday people, because while many LGBT teens can't see a positive future for themselves, we can.

More LGBT Couples at my website: http://www.elisarolle.com/, My Ramblings/Real Life Romance


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