Born on May 8, 1972 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, Darren Stanley Hayes is a known songwriter, singer, and comedian.

In 1993, Hayes met Daniel Jones when Jones put up an ad asking for a vocalist for a band called Red Edge. This was unsuccessful, but Hayes and Jones would ultimately form a duo, known as (after many name changes) Savage Garden. Savage Garden went to become a popular duo throughout the late 90’s, until their split in 2001.

Hayes later moved on to make a solo career, and his 2002 album Spin was a brief success. In 2004 Hayes took a turn with his style, making it electronic with The Tension and the Spark. It was a change welcomed by critics, but not by his pop-loving Savage Garden fans.

Hayes came out as Gay publicly in the early 2000’s, and, along with his partner Richard Cullen, advocates for gay rights.