Against All Odds

Darius has had his fair share of bruises but now with a record deal under his belt and his debut single poised to hit the top spot, life couldn't get much better, as he exclusively told uk-fusion

You're at the point of releasing your debut single, did you honestly feel after Popstars and Pop Idol, you’d come to this so soon?
When I look back in the last two years, so much has happened in such a short period of time. I think it’s incredible to think that a few years ago I did my first ever musical and at the age of 21 I’m now releasing my debut single ‘Colourblind’. It’s even more surreal to think I’m working with my hero producer Steve Lillywhite [who's worked with U2, Travis, Rolling Stones, Simple Minds, Counting Crows, Kirsty MacColl to name but a few]. He is really one of the world’s renowned producers and I’m so privileged to have him at the helm of my album. I thought that meeting and working with someone like that wouldn’t happen for another five years (within the context of having a career for five years). I’m very, very lucky. It’s like a dream sometimes; I have to pinch myself.
Is it moving too fast?
My feet haven’t hit the ground since leaving Pop Idol. I don’t think it’s moving too fast because I’m loving every minute. I haven’t really had time to be with friends and family, though. They’ve come down to London and spent time with me and when I’m on the road, doing  road shows or in the studio or doing television and radio interviews. In that regard, it’s moving very fast but I love a fast pace ‘cos it keeps me on my toes.
How would you feel about doing an interview, which doesn’t mention Simon Cowell and well, is about you?
I think I made the right decision in January when I was so graciously offered a five album deal with BMG by Simon Cowell but I felt there were two things: it was too soon after Will had won Pop Idol and as you know, the programme was all about one person winning a contract with BMG. But on a more selfish note, personally and professionally for me, it would have been the wrong move because by releasing music off the back of the TV show, I would have had no idea whether that music was potentially successful because of me or because of the incredible success of the show. When I look at what happened to Hear’say and compare it to what Liberty X are doing, I realise that it really is about music.  I didn’t put myself through the trials and tribulations of the audition and to put my parents, my friends and family through all the problems and misunderstood baggage associated with the tabloid press, just so I could release a cover.
How much artistic control is written in your contract?
I have complete creative control – that’s what’s incredible. I write the words for the melodies and I choose who to write with and who produces me. I have approval of everything. It means I can thank the people who have supported me through Pop Idol in a very honest way. I don’t need to conspire to somebody else’s mould or live up to the expectations of a marketing man. I set my own rules and I live by the standards that make me happy as a person. Yes, I made a jump from Popstars to Pop Idol but I’ve made an even bigger jump from Pop Idol to Darius as a solo performer. Looking at singer-songwriters and solo artists like Craig David, David Gray, Nelly Furtado, Alicia Keys and Dido, they sing in different genres and with very different styles. They are each very individualistic but they have one common thing that links them. They are all bringing original music to the front edge of pop and I want to be able to call them my peers when ‘Colourblind’ is released and when the album is released in November.
Realistically, when do you anticipate your album will be finished?
In November. I’ve been writing since a young age but when I wrote ‘Colourblind’, I made the decision not to record anything I had written prior to that ‘cos I think I had drawn up a lot of personality as a songwriter over the last couple of years.  ‘Colourblind’ marks the division between the past and future of my career. While I was doing Pop Idol, I was too busy to write songs so since March, that’s been the only time I’ve had to write. Most artists take a year or two, so I’ve consciously put myself under pressure and I very much like the challenge.  I’m working with some of the best producers in the business – the Misfits in London (who are responsible for ‘Colourblind’) and the Matrix in LA.
Some fans have made their feelings clear they’re not happy with paying to access parts of your website. How do you justify it’s a worthwhile cause?
I would love to be able to have the website up and running for free.  For the fans that are really dedicated, it’s the exclusivity of having something no one has even seen. The only way you can value that is if you put some kind of a price on it. We would never ever have a website that would charge extortionate fees or be something I would benefit from. Any charge that has been placed on the website goes straight back into the website to make it better. To employ the people who work on the website on a day-to-day basis isn’t cheap. I feel these nominal charges are fair. I can keep Mercury, the record company happy and the site can have some monetary feedback and also keep the fans happy.
Do you have plans to go back to complete your degree?
I look forward to finishing it in the near future. When that will be, I don’t know. I have a five-album deal with Mercury so I foresee a point in my future where I don’t set myself the challenge of writing an album in six months. Maybe I will take a bit more time out, by keeping a close eye on things that are important to me, you know, like my friends, my family and my education. I can be happy in the long term. I didn’t do three years at uni to study English just to throw a degree away.
Your youngest brother clearly looks up to you. Are you setting a good example?
I hope so, yeah. I’ve got two younger brothers and I’d be really proud of them if they both went onto university.
How does it feel that your infamous Britney rendition is circulating the Internet on mp3?
I think that’s funny! (laughs)
Pink or Blue?
Pink.
Travis or Idlewild?
Travis.
‘Afsheen’ is Persian for ‘bright’ –
Really? Ohhhhkay, I wondered why it was familiar!
What does yours mean?
‘Darius’ means ‘a good man’ and my surname means ‘knowledge’.
In your video, you start off in black suit and then switch to a Jamie Theakston cast-off shirt (in a desert), did we miss something in the middle?
And then I switched to what?
A Jamie Theakston cast-off.
Oh nooo! That’s not how I would describe it!
I just have.
Really? What do you mean by what happened in between?
Well one minute you’re in a suit, and then something casual but you’re supposed to be stranded in a desert!
(giggles) You know, that’s the purpose of the video. It was actually trying to show I’ve made a progression between Pop Idol to just me. On Pop Idol, you saw me in a black tuxedo and black clothes quite a lot; the change of the clothes refers to how I’ve made quite a change in real terms.
What clan is your tartan?
It’s Campbell. (immediately interrupts) You’ve got great questions! I’m really impressed!
Um, thank you very much! A true Scotsman wears nothing under his kilt. As you’re half Scottish, do you compromise half way by opting for a thong?
Oh no compromise! I’m a Scot who’s proud of his roots.
So it’s the full monty?
Absolutely! (laughs) I wouldn’t want to disappoint by anything less.
Hmmmm, OK then.  

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