1993–1995: Formation Savage Garden were a spin-off from Red Edge, which had formed in
Brisbane as a
covers band in 1992 by
Daniel Jones on keyboards and rhythm guitar, his brother Oliver Jones on lead guitar and lead vocals, Jamie Sullivan on bass guitar and backing vocals, and his brother Scott Sullivan on drums. It was described by McFarlane as "pure unadulterated pop, boasting enticing melodies and a classy and sleek production sound." The group finished the year by winning two
Billboard Music Awards: Adult Contemporary Single of the Year and Hot 100 Singles Airplay of the Year. In February 2000, as "
Crash and Burn" became its fifth single, their song "Truly Madly Deeply" was still on the Monitor/Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay Chart, breaking the record for length of time on that chart and finally dropped off after 123 weeks, while "Crash and Burn" peaked at No. 10. In June 2000, Hayes performed "
'O Sole Mio" at a
benefit concert for Luciano Pavarotti's annual
Pavarotti and Friends. Savage Garden's success was reflected at the Billboard Music Awards, where they won Best Adult Contemporary Video and No. 1 Adult Contemporary Song of the Year, for "I Knew I Loved You", and No. 1 Adult Contemporary Artist of the Year. "I Knew I Loved You" stayed on the Monitor/
Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay Chart for 124 weeks. Savage Garden performed the
title track at the
2000 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in October.
2001: Split At the end of 2001, there was media speculation that the band would break up due to Hayes starting his solo album project. He announced that Jones was taking time off to work on a record label that he had founded. The band took a hiatus but was expected to reform by early 2002. However, in October 2001, Hayes announced that Savage Garden had broken up. Hayes and Jones had agreed that they would break up after finishing their tour for their second album. After the announcement, the band's website posted a statement: In an interview on the
musicMAX network, Hayes said that a few weeks before the release of their second album, Jones did not like the fame that the band was receiving and was not happy. Hayes wanted to move on in the music industry as a solo artist. His first solo single, "
Insatiable", was released in January 2002 and his solo album,
Spin, followed in March. It spawned several UK Top 40 singles, including "I Miss You", "Strange Relationship", and "Crush (1980 Me)". Hayes went on to release a further four studio albums: 2004's
The Tension and the Spark, 2007's ''
This Delicate Thing We've Made'', 2011's
Secret Codes and Battleships, and 2022's
Homosexual, the latter three studio albums releasing on Hayes' own record label, Powdered Sugar. Jones started his own production company, Meridien Musik, and built a recording studio, Level 7 Studios, to record young Australian artists including
Aneiki and
Bachelor Girl. In August 2007, Hayes was asked by
The Daily Telegraph if he and Jones would ever consider a reunion. He replied abruptly, "No, never. I once said I'd only do it if it cured cancer, and that's still how I feel."
2005: Truly Madly Completely The greatest hits package
Truly Madly Completely: The Best of Savage Garden was released on 7 November 2005—with a US release following in early 2006—and included a single by Darren Hayes titled "
So Beautiful". Several variations of the release also included a bonus DVD featuring several music video clips, as well as the
Parallel Lives documentary, which was earlier released as a bonus feature of the
Superstars and Cannonballs DVD/VHS.
2015: Savage Garden: The Singles To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the band's formation, a new compilation titled
Savage Garden: The Singles was released on 12 June, and features a previously unheard demo from 1994, titled "She". Hayes said of the recording; "It's a long time ago, but my recollection is I was writing about the relationship that I have, and continue to have, with the women in my life. From my sister to my mother and all the friends and the wonderful female relationships in my life. I know I'm indebted to these incredibly strong women who loved me and taught me what it was like to be strong and succeed in a world where you sometimes feel underestimated." The album also includes a bonus DVD of Australian and international music video releases. It accompanies a major re-release of their two studio albums with bonus tracks and live performances, the first time their catalogue has received such treatment. ==Tours==