Savage Garden’s Darren Hayes’ Career Celebrated at Music In The House Gala

8/26/2026 The Australian singer and songwriter Darren Hayes received two awards on the night at the 2026 Music In The House event in Sydney. He was feted with the Excellence in Community Award at the 17th annual event. Hayes, the ex-Savage Garden singer and songwriter, was also inducted into APRA AMCOS’s Billions Club for the group’s Billboard Hot 100 leader ‘Truly Madly Deeply,’ one of their two U.S. No. 1 hits. Savage Garden, the duo of Hayes and Daniel Jones, was one of Australia’s biggest exports of the 1990s, with their self-titled debut album peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and their sophomore album Affirmation reaching No. 6. The group split in 2001, and Hayes has since pursued a solo career, releasing five studio albums, most recently *Homosexual* in 2022. He has sold over 35 million albums worldwide and won 14 ARIA Awards and 10 APRA songwriting awards. Hayes has been a community leader, appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2019 for his services to music. He openly discusses mental health, resilience, and LGBTQIA+ representation, advocating for safer spaces in the creative industries. On the night, he received recognition for his advocacy against violence, homophobia, racism, and mental health stigma. Hayes was presented with the award by longtime friend Claire Marshall, with television presenter Osher Günsberg emceeing the event. A lineup of performers covered his songs, including Tania Doko, Electric Fields, Meg Mac, Michael Paynter, and Sister2Sister. Clive Miller, CEO of Support Act, praised Hayes for his courage in addressing mental health and identity issues. Hayes also received an APRA AMCOS prize for ‘Truly Madly Deeply,’ which surpassed one billion streams on major platforms. Established in 2006, Music In The House celebrates music leaders for artistic and community contributions, with proceeds supporting Support Act’s initiatives like the Wellbeing Helpline and mental health prevention programs for music workers.