Two decades after chart-topping band Savage Garden parted ways, the former frontman Darren Hayes has finally explained what caused their bitter disbandment.
Hayes, who has carved out a successful solo career since Savage Garden ended, appears on The Kyle and Jackie-O show this morning, and didn’t hold back when he was asked why he left the band.
“Well hang on, let me clarify that – Daniel [Jones] left Savage Garden,” he told Kyle Sandilands. “I loved it, I would have been in that band forever.”
Seemingly fascinated by the revelation, Jackie-O Henderson probed Daniel for more information, asking whether Hayes and his former bandmate had supported each other during their skyrocket to fame.
“Uh, no. I was really supportive of him; he absolutely hated the experience of being famous. He decided before the release of that second album (1999’s Affirmation) that he didn’t want that life – which is totally his right,” Hayes revealed.
“A week before Affirmation came out, we had the number one single around the world (I Knew I Loved You), and Daniel had a life crisis and decided he didn’t want to do it anymore. We had to convince him: ‘Could you just maybe tour the album, and let’s work this out later on?’”
Savage Garden formed in 1993 and consisted of Hayes on vocals and Jones on instruments. The duo released their debut single ‘I Want You’ in 1996, which peaked at number four on the ARIA singles chart. They hit the peak of their fame with their single ‘Truly Made Deeply’ which was released in 1996.
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The pop duo disbanded in 2001, and there was much speculation that the reason behind the split was Hayes wanting to start a solo career. The rumor picked up traction when Jones held a press conference in Brisbane’s Botanic Gardens in 2001 and said he was disappointed Savage Garden was splitting, and claimed that Hayes hadn’t consulted him about the disbandment. However, Hayes has now clarified that was not the case.
“His leaving was a huge rug pulled out from under me, and for contractual reasons we couldn’t really talk about it,” Hayes said.
“He held that press conference where he said, ‘Oh, this is the first I’ve heard of it,’ which was such a stupid thing to say, because people thought I’d left the band.”
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