In a world where hip-hop and R&B rule, Australia's Savage Garden stick out like new romantics, with very harmonious and meaningful music. However fresh, their pop brings the flavour of the 80's music such as Duran Duran, Tears for Fears, Prince or The Smiths.
The band's members are Daniel Jones and Darren Hayes, both from the city of Brisbane. They first met in 1992 when Darren answered a newspaper ad that Daniel had put in search of a vocalist for his band, Red Edge. Darren was the last to audition and even though he didn't sing his best, the two Australians clicked immediately. "It was almost like meeting a soul mate," says Darren of that fateful first encounter. "We both had the same goals. I walked out of the audition thinking: 'I'm going to be famous one day.'"
They spent two years playing covers in clubs and pubs around New South Wales. Later they split from the band and started writing their own songs. And this is where the seeds of Savage Garden appear...The name of the band comes from Anne Rice's novel "Lestat" (she also wrote "Interview with a vampire"). Darren is a big fan of her books.
After having spent about 8 months in a recording studio in Sydney, Darren and Daniel came out in 1996 with their self-titled debut album, which has been sold more than 12 million copies worldwide. The success of the album is proved by the awards won in Australia: at the 11th Annual ARIA awards (1997), Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones took home an amazing 10 awards - a feat never before achieved.
After a successful world tour promoting the first album, Savage Garden released a second album in November 2000. It is called "Affirmation" and it has been a huge success, as well!
Good luck ahead, Savage Garden!
Daniel Jones is the instrumentalist of Savage Garden (electric guitars, keyboards and synthesizers).
Birth date: July 22nd, 1973 (Cancer).
Birth place: Essex, London, England but he and his family moved to Brisbane, Australia when he was 1 year old.
Peculiarities: Dark blond, blue eyed, wears an ear ring in his left ear.
Family: Two older brothers - Jonathan and Oliver - who used to be members of Red Edge, his mother Chris and his father John. There is a very strong relationship between Daniel and his family.
School nickname: "waggin", because he used to skip classes a lot! (school: Shailer Park State High School)
Faves: Music: George Michael, Alanis Morissette ("Jagged Little Pill" is his favourite CD), Sheryl Crow, Seal; he doesn't like commercial music. Actors: he is a very big Meg Ryan fan, but he also likes Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson. Food: pasta, satay chicken and he loves chocolate. Drinks: Coca Cola and soda water. Color: blue. Hobbies: he loves football and aquatic sports such as surf and jet-skiing.
Gas: "All around Me" from the first album is about Meg Ryan; as a teenager, he was a Tears for Fears fan; he smokes; he's not the conceited type who spends a lot of time watching himself in the mirror; he used to be a bar tender; embarrassing moments for him were falling from a couple of stages and nearly knocking Darren out with his guitar in L.A. once; he has been in bands since he was 14; he used to play drums and keyboards at local pubs and hotels; he took classical piano lessons at age 7 but he stopped because he hated it; his pet is a kookaburra, an Australian bird that utters a specific croaking; he climbed the Ayers Rock mountain; he likes writing music on his laptop; he owns a boat and a recording studio.
Note: facts are taken from articles or from other webpages.