Darren Holden (musician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Darren Holden
Background information
Occupation(s)	Musician, singer-songwriter
Years active	1986–present
Labels	Polygram Records, Crashed Records, ARK21/Universal Records, EMI Records, EMI Manhattan, Universal, Sony Records, Celtic Collections, Caroline Records
Associated acts	The High Kings, Boyzone, Billy Joel

Darren Holden is a talented singer and songwriter from Ireland. He has performed in famous Broadway shows like Riverdance and Movin' Out. Darren also toured with these shows across the country. Later, he joined the popular Irish folk group called the High Kings.

Darren Holden's Early Life

Darren Holden was born in Mooncoin, a town in County Kilkenny, Ireland. When he was younger, he toured with the popular Irish band Boyzone from 1995 to 1997. His first solo music album, called Suddenly, came out in Ireland in 1998.

Darren Holden's Music Career

Performing in Big Shows

In 1999, Darren became the main singer for a new Irish dance show called Rhythm of the Dance. He spent 10 months performing in many countries, including Scandinavia, Germany, and Belgium.

In February 2000, Darren joined the famous Riverdance show on Broadway in New York City. He was a featured singer in the show. Riverdance ran for 18 months and was even featured on popular TV shows like NBC's Today Show.

While in New York, Darren worked with country music producer Don DiNicola. They recorded an album with both modern and traditional country songs. Some of his songs, like "Blood and Smoke" and "Wherever You Are", were played a lot on US country radio stations.

Darren left Riverdance in June 2003. He then moved back to Broadway to star in the Billy Joel/Twyla Tharp musical "Movin' Out". He played the lead piano man role on Broadway for six months. After that, he led the US National Tour of the show from 2004 to 2007. The show also traveled to Toronto and Japan.

On August 22, 2006, Darren released his CD called Roadworks. He wrote many of the songs himself. This album was very successful in Japan, selling over 30,000 copies. One song from the album, "5 Star Day", was even used in the video game Cars Mater-National Championship.

Darren has performed with many famous artists. These include Paul Young, Belinda Carlisle, and Bonnie Tyler. He has also worked with bands like Boyzone and Backstreet Boys. He was even invited to sing the US national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner", for President George W. Bush at the White House.

Joining The High Kings

In June 2007, Darren was asked to join a new Irish folk group called the High Kings. The group also included Brian Dunphy, Finbarr Clancy, and Martin Furey.

Their first CD came out in February 2008. It quickly became very popular, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard world music charts. It also hit No. 7 in Ireland and has sold enough copies to be certified platinum. The High Kings have had many sold-out tours in the US and Ireland.

In 2009, there were rumors that Slash from the band Velvet Revolver wanted Darren to be their new lead singer. Sources close to the band confirmed that Darren had talked with them and recorded some music.

In October 2009, Darren joined six other Irish celebrities. They climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to raise money for a children's hospital. A TV show about their journey was shown on RTÉ 1 television in 2011.

The High Kings released their album Friends for Life in 2013. The first song on the album was an original song by Darren called "Oh Maggie". This song became very popular in Ireland, the UK, and Germany. The album reached number 5 in the Irish Top 40 charts.

In 2017, The High Kings won an award for "Outstanding achievement in Irish Music around the world". Darren has also appeared on TV shows to talk about the band's success.

Darren has also hosted some episodes of the SKY TV show Keep it Country. On the show, he interviewed other singers and songwriters.

In 2017, Darren's solo song "Lady" was re-released to celebrate its 20th anniversary. It was dedicated to the memory of Diana, Princess of Wales. This song became a top-3 hit on iTunes, showing Darren's solo success even while being part of The High Kings.

In November 2017, The High Kings released their album Decade: The Best of the High Kings. This album quickly reached Number 1 on iTunes.

In June 2018, Darren and The High Kings were nominated for Best Album at the Irish Post Awards. They performed their song "Hand me down my Bible" with Phil Coulter. Darren also played the accordion on Phil Coulter's song "Thank God this was My Life".

Darren Holden's Charting Singles

Darren Holden has had several songs that made it onto the Irish music charts:

• "Don't Give Up on Us" – Reached #23 in Ireland in 1997.
• "More Than I Can Say" – Reached #20 in Ireland in 1997.
• "The Rose of Mooncoin" – Reached #28 in Ireland in 1998.