Savage Garden think they're like vampires---immortal and beautiful on the surface, but really bestial beings that suck the living daylights out of you under the facade. "We like vampires musically. Like the dual-faceted vampires, our music operates on different levels. We are not actually savages," says vocalist Darren Hayes cheerfully.

The duo--both 23--certainly have beauty: 300 hormone riddled female fans reportedly stationed themselves at Changi Airport hoping to catch a glimpse of the Aussie cuties when they arrived in Singapore recently for a short visit. Darren, the vocalist, is vampirically handsome, with dark Looks and stringy hair. Daniel Jones, the instrumentalist, is blonde with deep blue eyes. "We strive to highlight this duality on the front cover of the album. Half of Darren's face and half of mine. Black and white, left and right. The opposites attract type of thing," says Daniel.

In this day and age when pretty boy bands (who croak like frogs) reign Savage Garden is fast establishing a cult following here. However, success did not come easily. It took countless Live gigs at local pubs and endless demo tapes sent to record companies. "It was devastating getting empty promises from record companies saying they want to sign you. But... you don’t hear a single word from them," says Darren. "There are many talented people in this business who never got a shot because they resigned at the first rejection. We were just persistent enough to keep going."

The hard work paid off when "I Want You" became Australia’s biggest selling single of 1996 and debuted at no.31 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Singles.

So has success changed them? "Not at all. The only restriction now is we have to comb our hair when we go out."

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