Darius

Darius refers to several different acts, including a French house producer, a German neo-progressive rock band, a psychedelic artist from the United States, and an alias used by Emma Essex on the Halley Labs / LapFox Trax label. The best-known UK figure associated with the name is Scottish singer-songwriter Darius Campbell-Danesh, who is born in Glasgow in 1980 and dies in 2022.

Darius Campbell-Danesh

Darius Campbell-Danesh begins his career in opera and musical theatre. As a child, he performs as a ten-year-old Trojan boy in Scottish Opera’s 1990s production of The Trojans, then tours with Scottish Opera in Carmen as a teenager. He also appears at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden before returning to his studies rather than following an operatic path.

While studying English Literature at Edinburgh University, he auditions for Popstars after a chance opportunity and a promised record deal. He then reaches the final rounds of Pop Idol, finishing third. He turns down Simon Cowell’s offer to record cover songs and instead sends original material to producer Steve Lillywhite, who signs him to a five-album deal.

His first self-written single, Colourblind, reaches number one in the UK singles chart. His debut album, Dive In, goes platinum. Over his recording career he has five UK Top Ten singles, and his second studio album is dedicated to his father, Dr Booth Danesh. The title track, Live Twice, becomes his fifth Top Ten single. He also begins work on his third album in Los Angeles during 2006 and 2007.

Alongside music, he works in theatre, including runs in Chicago, where he plays Billy Flynn, and Guys and Dolls, where he is due to appear as Sky Masterson. He supports Shakira on her world tour in Paris, completes a sold-out UK tour, becomes an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, contributes to a War Child charity album with Coldplay and Oasis, and writes the book Sink or Swim, which reaches number six in the Sunday Times Best Seller list. He also headlines in India with Alanis Morissette after his album goes platinum there.

He is managed by Simon Fuller, and his early career and TV breakthrough make him part of the wave of British pop talent shows that includes Pop Idol. He dies on 11 August 2022 in Rochester, Minnesota. An autopsy later concludes that he dies from inhalation of chloroethane, which leads to respiratory arrest, and the death is ruled accidental.

Other artists using the name

The French producer Darius, also known as Terence N’guyen, comes from Paris and works mainly in house and disco, often associated with the French touch style. His sound is compared with Cassius, Fred Falke and Daft Punk. He releases the EPs Velour in 2012 and Romance in 2014 on Roche Musique, and he is also part of the nu-disco duo Cherokee with Dorian Miche.

The German band Darius forms in December 1989 and includes Marcus Arnrich on drums, Markus Getta on guitars, Tom Mueller on bass, Dirk Bovensiepen on vocals and Sven Martin on keyboards. Their debut album, A Poet’s Soliloquy, appears in 1994, followed by Voices from the Crowd in 1997, a more developed semi-conceptual album with an Egyptian-themed second half. Their live album Somewhere Alive in the Crowd appears in 1999 and includes a cover of Marillion’s Kayleigh.

The U.S. psychedelic artist Darius, also credited as Robert J. Ott, records in the late 1960s and early 1970s and issues two albums, Darius and the unreleased Darius II.

Another Darius alias belongs to Emma Essex on Halley Labs / LapFox Trax. This project combines acid house with jazz-influenced chord progressions, and its first album, Ergosphere, appears in 2011.