R13: Why has this third album, 'This Delicate Thing We've Made' taken so long to come?
Darren: Well, it was a mammoth task to make a double record. I had to spend a lot of time working out who I didn't want to be. Then there was the issue of detangling myself from Sony; that took a while.
R13: How does this album differ from the previous two?
Darren: They're all unique I would have to say. The first one was pure pop. The next was dark and moody. This one is extravagant and theatrical.
R13: Your personal life has changed quite a bit since the previous album, has this affected the way you write and sing?
Darren: I don't see a line in the sand in terms of change. I think it's been gradual. Me marrying my boyfriend was obviously a very joyous and liberating event in my life but the seeds of change and my self acceptance had been growing a long time. So obviously my work has become increasingly more honest as I have become so.
R13: What sort of experiences has provided inspiration for the new album?
Darren: The album is called 'This Delicate Thing We've Made' because it refers to the complexity and fragility of relationships. A complicated title but a very common theme : living. From the birth of a best friend's baby to the death of a dear friend. Life was showing me it was unpredictable and I wrote about that.
R13: You have said the track How To Build A Time Machine is about the relationship between you and your father, was it difficult to put your emotions and personal experience into paper and into a song?
Darren: Well it's about he and I. But it's about a lot of things. It's about forgiveness. It's about looking back and realizing you can't change the past. You must just accept it and move forward.
R13: You seem to have taken a more dance/techno direction with the new material. Was there a specific reason behind this development?
Darren: It's not really dance. And it's certainly not techno. It's electronic in parts but then again my music always has been. Pioneers of the synthesizer like Jean Michelle Jarre or Peter Gabriel are huge inspirations so naturally that sound coupled with the use of a vintage Fairlight Synthesizer has informed the sound.
R13: The new album is released through you own record label, how did you come to set up your own label, and why did you choose the name, Powdered Sugar?
Darren: It's the best time to be independent. Major labels are crumbling and fear runs the decision making process instead of enthusiasm. I had a bad experience with Columbia records when they refused to release my last album. I vowed that would never happen again. Powdered Sugar – came from a sentence my friend Tyler Bieck once said. She referred to her makeup as 'nothing but powdered sugar' and the phrase stuck.
R13: What was the inspiration behind the first single On the Verge of Something Wonderful?
Darren: It's a song about taking the road less travelled.
R13: The video for On the Verge of Something Wonderful looks very technical. Why did you decide upon something that uses effects rather than something similar to your previous videos?
Darren: I wanted to have fun. I was sick of videos that relied on styling and good lighting to make the subject an object of attraction. I wanted to be theatrical and silly and show that the energy and experimentation of my music was a part of my personality too.
R13: There are 25 tracks on the new album, why so many?
Darren: It's a double album. It's a device to allow you to take risks and go off on tangents. You can't do that on a single disc, hence the large amount of songs.