Darren Hayes’s “All You Pretty Things” is a beautiful tribute to those who lost their lives on June 12, 2016, at 2am in the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The song came out as a single on August 19, 2022, and was included in his album “Homosexual” on October 7, 2022.
This is a quote by Darren Hayes on his thoughts and feelings about what happened that fateful day when Omar Mateen took the lives of many innocent people who just wanted to hit up the club for a night of fun:
“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. 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.”
In the article it also goes on to mention how Darren found healing and freedom with being able to release his new album, Homosexual, and finally be true to himself. And here is some of what he had to say about it:
“My album title “Homosexual” is a personal reclamation of a pejorative and re-inventing it as something shame-free for me. 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.”
“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.”
“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. 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.”
“I lounge proudly underneath the electric buzz of this symbol, this term that used to be used to denigrate people like me. Now it’s my word. Now it means whatever I want it to mean.”
“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”
“I would say my new album honestly saved my life. 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.”
Source: Savage Garden’s Darren Hayes Honors 2016 Pulse Shooting Victims with ‘All You Pretty Things’ Single
Kristin’s thoughts: What a touching tribute and love-filled words from a kind soul. I am so proud of Darren, and I wish him all the best as a lifelong fan.