Yahoo Movies Savage Garden's Darren Hayes Honors 2016 Pulse Shooting Victims with 'All You Pretty Things' Single
Darren Hayes is gearing up to drop his first solo album in 10 years.
On Tuesday, the singer-songwriter, 50, largely known for his time alongside Daniel Jones in Australian pop duo Savage Garden, released an uplifting new disco-tinged single called "All You Pretty Things," dedicated to the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting.
Released alongside a lyric video, "All You Pretty Things" serves as the latest single from Hayes' upcoming album Homosexual, also announced Tuesday. Also featuring previous singles "Let's Try Being In Love," "Do You Remember?" and "Poison Blood," the 14-track set will be released Oct. 7.
"The Pulse tragedy felt particularly personal to me because it was one of the first mass shootings that had occurred since my husband and I moved back to live permanently in the United States," Hayes tells PEOPLE of "All You Pretty Things" in a statement. "It broke my heart that this violence was unleashed upon an already marginalized group of people in a space that was supposed to be a place of celebration and refuge."
On the song's inspiration, the musician continues, "I wanted to write a song that honored the victims without being mournful, to take the focus away from the perpetrator and put it back on the tremendous love and connection that is the foundation of a queer community and one that can never be erased."
Lindsey Adler Darren Hayes
"My album title [Homosexual] is a personal reclamation of a pejorative and re-inventing it as something shame-free for me," explains Hayes. "I've been on a personal journey to rid myself of the shame I felt as a young man and my own internalized homophobia the kept me from loving myself as a teenager."
He continues, "It's also political — we live in time where a Michigan town would rather close a library than have a queer book in it — so in an era of 'Don't Say Gay' I feel compelled to push back against the stigma. I'm proud of who I am, and I'm rejecting past narratives and definitions associated with the word. I'm injecting joy and pride into a cold, clinical word."
Hayes shared further details in a press statement. "I'm also a recording artist who came up in an era where being openly gay was frowned upon and I experienced first hand, the attempted erasure of my true identity from the marketing department of a major record label," he wrote. "But perhaps the most important reason I chose this title is that in 2022, I'm living in a time and in a country where the freedoms of LGBTQI+ people are more at risk than they've ever been."
Lindsey Adler Darren Hayes
"I lounge proudly underneath the electric buzz of this symbol, this term that used to be used to denigrate people like me," explained Hayes of the colorful Homosexual album artwork. "Now it's my word. Now it means whatever I want it to mean."
He concluded, "If you haven't worked it out yet, I think it means something magical, amazing, unique and essential. My name is Darren Hayes. And I'm a proud Homosexual."
RELATED: Savage Garden's Darren Hayes Says Music 'Saved My Life' After Years of Denying His Gay Identity
Earlier this year, Hayes spoke to PEOPLE about choosing to open up about mental health struggles he faced during the height of Savage Garden's fame, when the band was promoting hit singles like "To the Moon and Back" and "Truly Madly Deeply."
After penning an emotional op-ed for the HuffPost on July 1, he said at the time that sharing the story was "integral to my reason for coming back to music."
Lindsey Adler Darren Hayes
"I would say my new album honestly saved my life," Hayes revealed of Homosexual. "I was in a dark place, emotionally, not understanding that just like my sexuality, my creative outlet is a huge part of the person I am and by denying that, I was denying an essential part of me."
Later this year, Hayes will embark on the "Do You Remember?" Tour to perform his solo hits and celebrate 25 years of Savage Garden. Launching in January 2023, he'll take the stage at venues across Australia and the UK through the following month.
Information regarding tour dates and tickets is available at Hayes' website.
