“One of the biggest hurdles for anyone coming out is overcoming shame and negative stereotypes associated with being queer,” Darren Hayes tells Apple Music. “Mardi Gras is so important because it’s a public celebration of who we are. Having not only the visibility, but also the affection of the community is incredibly healing.” The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras began in 1978 as a protest in the streets, a resistance movement that was met with arrests and police brutality. But it only fuelled the need to do it again the following year—and every year after that. Two years later, the first post-parade party took place and since then, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has grown into one of the biggest Pride celebrations in the world, with events, parties and more taking place over several weeks, culminating in a huge parade. The 2000s saw major shifts in the way Australia viewed the LGBTQ+ community, socially, politically and culturally. And Hayes—then a few years into Savage Garden stardom—actually performed at the parade before he publicly came out. “The first time I performed, I remember looking out into a sea of people who loved themselves. And there was a huge part of me that was sad I hadn’t yet been able to fully embrace that self-love for myself.” Thinking back to the period, Hayes has a favourite memory that, in his own words, is “very rock star”. “It involved going to a viewing of the parade on the rooftop of a swanky Oxford Street bar with Kylie Minogue and Bono,” he says. “I don’t think it gets much better than that. The balmy Sydney summer air and the wildly electric carnival atmosphere was intoxicating.” To celebrate and honour the post-millennium era, Hayes rose to the task of curating a playlist encapsulating the music of Mardi Gras throughout the 2000s and early 2010s. Explore the playlist here and read on for more on his top picks. “Love at First Sight”, Kylie Minogue “I think this is my favourite Kylie song of all time, and that’s a tall order because she’s a legend. I remember hearing this song in London when I was doing promo for my first solo album. I was staying at this swanky hotel called The Sanderson Hotel. I was young, free and very single, and this song seemed to capture that feeling of first crushes and stolen kisses.” “This Boy’s in Love”, The Presets “I love the Depeche Mode vibes of this track and the heavy, industrial synth grooves. I went through a period of being obsessed with the producer Flood and solo Dave Gahan and the Nord keyboard, and this song seems to encapsulate all those things. It takes me back to a period I spent in between albums when I was still chasing a sound, and I very nearly went down this direction at the time. Some of my earlier songs on The Tension and the Spark have this vibe.” “The Edge of Glory”, Lady Gaga “I don’t think there’s been a song since the 1970s that captures the melancholy, euphoria or possibility of youth quite like this. It’s right up there with Journey or Springsteen in the way it takes the feeling of being on the cusp of adulthood and turns it into a melody that creates a lump in your throat. I’m obsessed with this woman and everything she does, but this song sums her up in one opus. It’s like a musical in one pop song.” “One More Time”, Daft Punk “I put this on, and I’m transported to November 2000 and the European leg of the Savage Garden Affirmation World Tour. This was our pre-show song. I have butterflies in my stomach thinking of the audience waiting for us. Then, I fast-forward to summer of the next year, driving across the Golden Gate Bridge on my way to the ‘big City’, blasting this now-classic dance song through the speakers of my SUV, on my way to a club with my bestie, James, in our slickest outfits, convinced we were gonna meet someone or at least get a phone number. You know what? We usually did! And I think it was because of Daft Punk!” “Release Me”, Agnes “The vocals! The strings! The Swedish pop perfection! The seeds of the disco goddess Agnes would become a decade later with her brilliant new album, Magic Still Exists. It’s all in the DNA of this track. I love the house rhythms of the piano, the string stabs, the gospel vocal arrangements and those wonderful, high string lines straight from Studio 54. Only the Swedes can truly make you dance when you’re heartbroken, and this is the definition of crying on the dance floor.”