Darren Hayes: your questions popped deep withinside. Part 1

We got him, you wanted him, we shared him. Here are the best of the questions you put to Mr. Darren Hayes of Savage Garden and Australia fame. Thankings.

Why did you leave it so long to come out? Surely everyone knew you was a gay. Bernard
To be honest, with some of the outfits that I wore in the 90s it was quite obvious. I joke around at gigs sometimes and say, ‘Is there anyone that DIDN’T know I was gay?’ Because apart from the emotional issues with coming out to myself so late, I thought I’d try and be a gentleman about it and guess people would assume it, but it wasn’t assumed.

I’ve read in interviews that you’re friends with Kylie. Do you have any plans on working with her. You are my favourite singers and I think you both represent Australia beautifully. Mel
Gosh. I adore Kylie and she gave me some of the best advice in my career. first of all, she said to me years ago, ‘You could come out now. I think it would be great if you did.’ And I did, so thank you Kylie. Secondly…when I wasn’t doing so well, she was having a complete renaissance with her Fever album in America, and she just said to me, ‘you just have to always go where the sun’s shining with your career. You’re not always going to be top of the charts.’ Her saying that inspired me because I thought, ‘Gosh, she’s been through the wringer.’ She got dropped after the Impossible Princess album, didn’t she? And that was a brilliant album.Top or bottom? Northern Bastard
I’m versatile. I’m not into cliches. I think that’s really limiting.

You’ve been using an origami bird a lot for this album. Does it symbolise anything specific? Musiquefan
This record is called This Delicate Thing We’ve Made and the cover is an origami Japanese bird. It signifies that we are the sum of our experiences. So if you unfolded the bird, you would see creases and those creases are experiences, good and bad. They make the piece of paper imperfect, they scar it. We are scarred by the things that touch us. There were two things in two weeks. First I married the love of my life and second I buried one of my best friends who died with AIDS. It was that juxtaposition that life is so delicate that was what I wanted to write about. I’m not on the cover but I’m all over that bitch on the inside, so don’t you worry.What’s your guilty pleasure musically? Briony James
Probably Celine Dion. I know that it’s really uncool but I don’t care.

Are you channelling Prince on ‘Me, Myself and (I)?’ If so, will we see you wearing a spangled jumpsuit on the tour? Rex
I’ve so done the jumpsuit. His album Sign O the Times was a huge muse for this album. It’s the reason I made a double album. Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love and Prince’s Sign O the Times, they’re both slightly conceptual and I play around with my voice a lot on this record.What smell do you wear? Betty Windsor
Several. I always mix colognes. If I wasn’t a pop star, I would be a nose for a fragrance company because I can identify different trace elements in different perfumes. It’s amazing. At the moment I’m wearing Givenchy’s Gentleman and over the top of it I’m wearing Paul Smith’s London. Gentleman is like a woody, leathery, tobacco kind of scent and the Paul Smith is very sweet, it’s got a very candy-like top note and I like the mix.Do you squish bugs or set them peacefully free when you find them in the house? Tracy
I set them free except for cockroaches. I think they deserve to die. Are you as boring as your music? Consuela
Yes.

Come back on Monday for more answers to your questions. Meanwhile, here’s the video for you good people…

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Darren’s new single, ‘On the Verge of Something Wonderful’ is out on 6th August and the album, This Delicate Thing We’ve Made is out on 20th August.