US in a spin over sexy Darren
Posted By fallen_angel on Sunday, February 27 2005 at 12:13 PM
Sydney’s The Sun- Herald – Sunday 27-2-2005 - S Entertainment Section
Darren Hayes is celebrating reaching the top of the American Billboard club play dance charts with his single Pop!ular, but behind the scenes of his success there has been an epic struggle with his record label to release his third album in the US.
Hayes’s album The Tension And The Spark (which S named as the best pop album of 2004) caused consternation among executives at Sony Music – his parent record label – because of its raunchy feel.
In a letter to local radio station Nova FM, celebrating news of Hayes’s current singles chart success, his longtime manager John Woodruff has revealed his frustration at the American attitude: “As you know we have been having some problems getting the Americans with their newfound conservatism to hear just how good this Darren record is.”
“We decided to let the public choose. We put out a number of mixes across the US clubs and here’s the result this week.”
The strategy to remix some of Hayes’s singles, including Pop!ular, has paid off handsomely – and Woodruff has revealed the success of the singles has prompted the US label to prepare a release date for the album.
“[Pop!ular] has taken off like wildfire in all the dance cubs in the USA and, so much so, that this week it is the most played track across the nation in the American club scene”, he wrote.
There’s no denying The Tension And The Spark was a creative shift for Hayes, after his success with mainstream Savage Garden hits including Truly, Madly, Deeply and I Knew I Loved You.
The singer has sold more than 20 million records so far, so the initial decision to delay his album release in the US seems like madness.
But because his new album features sexy (and occasionally sexually ambiguous) lyrics, it was seen as a risk – especially by the conservative radio stations that have been playing his Savage Garden hits continuously since day one.
Here’s hoping the brilliance of The Tension And The Spark will eventually filter through to a wider audience in the US.
Hayes is now gearing up for promotional duties in the US, but he will be back in Australia this week. He is the headline performer at the Mardi Gras party in Sydney on Saturday night.
Pop!Ular # 1 on the new Billboard Chart
Posted By Jim on Friday, February 25 2005 at 2:00 AM
The new Billboard charts were posted today and Darren has taken over
# 1!
Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play Chart - Issue Date March 5, 2005
Pop!Ular(Guido/Wayne G/P. Presta/J. Budz Mixes) # 1 - (up 1 from last
week - 8 weeks on the chart)
http://www.billboard.com/bb/charts/airplay/dance.jsp
Info from Sony Music Australia
Posted By Jim on Tuesday, February 22 2005 at 9:55 PM
Smokin! It was a #1 smash in Australia and now Darren Hayes’ mind-blowing, electro-clash spectacular ’Pop!ular’ is shaping up as a surefire dance hit in the US, rocketing into the #2 spot on the Billboard Dance Charts this week!
Proving he’s one of the most ’Pop!ular’ Aussies representin’ on the international music scene, pop whizz turn electronica genius Darren Hayes is tearing up the US Billboard Dance Charts, rocketing into the #2 spot this week with his massive electro-pop dance-floor scorcher!
Scoring the title of ’hot-shot debut’ when it entered the chart just weeks ago, ’Pop!ular’ has since exploded in clubs across America and is now shaping up as Hayes’ first major US dance hit.
Hayes, who created an enduring pop music legacy with the multi-million record selling duo Savage Garden, hit back in fighting form in 2004 with his amazing second solo album ’The Tension And The Spark’, the LP’s first single ’Pop!ular’ holding tight to the #1 spot on the ARIA Top 50 singles charts for three weeks straight.
Rumoured to be heading back to Australia for a visit soon, Darren recently socked ’Pop!ular’ to his US fans at an Australia Day/ World Vision Tsunami Benefit concert in New York, that also featured appearances by Ben Lee, Second Dan and Jennifer Hawkins - click here to check out some of the pics!
Stay tuned for more Darren Hayes news coming soon...
http://www.sonymusic.com.au/news/details.do?newsId=20030829001531