Darren Criss news

A few years ago, I interviewed Criss when he was doing some special concerts with his former "Glee" co-star Lea Michele. Read on about his latest single, which is quite catchy. 

Singer/songwriter/actor Darren Criss released his newest single, “For a Night Like This,” via BMG: LISTEN HERE. The release comes from his upcoming EP, Masquerade, out August 20. Pre-save HERE.

The EP follows two previously released singles, “i can't dance” and “f*kn around." Describing this collection of songs as “character-driven singles,” Darren explores even more personas on Masquerade. Darren will perform songs from the EP live for the first time at Elsie Fest on August 29 in NYC as part of the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn Festival at the Prospect Park Bandshell. Full track listing of Masquerade can be found below.

About the new single, Darren shares, “What artist doesn't want a song of theirs to end up on the permanent playlist for every wedding, New Year's Eve, reception, afterparty, Quinceañera, Bar and Bat Mitzvah? ‘for a night like this’ is me trying my hand at joining the ranks of those go-to celebration songs we all know and love. So, like the best of them, I made a song designed to invite you out of your seat and onto the dance floor, for the nights you get dressed up to get down, for the ones you spend a little on to celebrate a lot for. A song for those special nights you work hard and wait for, so you can go all out sharing something you love with the people you love.”

Darren made his late-night television performance debut with the single on The Late Late Show with James Corden alongside Este Haim of HAIM on bass. 

Music has always played an integral role in Darren’s artistry. As a solo artist, his 2017 EP Homework debuted at #1 on Billboard's Heatseekers Album chart. Criss has toured to sold-out audiences around the world including headlining the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Festival with multi-GRAMMY Award nominee and renowned DJ Steve Aoki. In 2019, he also headlined the Balmain Music Festival for the Balmain men's spring 2020 show. He has been featured on the cover of numerous magazines including such music publications as Billboard and American Songwriter.

As a songwriter, Darren has penned songs for the comedy musical Royalties, for which he was also the creator and executive producer. He received his first Emmy nomination for songwriting in 2015 for Best Original Music and Lyrics for the song “This Time,” which appeared on Glee’s series finale. In addition to collaborations with fellow artists including Rufus Wainwright, Sabrina Carpenter, Bonnie McKee, Jordan Fisher, and many others, he has also written for Apple’s animated series Central Park.

Track listing:

1. f*kn around

2. i can't dance

3. let's

4. walk of shame

5. for a night like this

More about Darren Criss:

Darren Criss is a multi-faceted artist with an illustrious career spanning television, film, music and stage. As an actor, his portrayal of Andrew Cunanan in Ryan Murphy's award-winning series American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace was met with widespread critical acclaim, earning him a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors' Guild Award and Critics' Choice Award.

Having previously portrayed Blaine Anderson on FOX's global phenomenon Glee for five seasons, he received an Emmy Award nomination for songwriting in 2015 for best original music and lyrics for the song "This Time." Criss' songwriting has also seen #1 spots on the cast album charts for music he wrote for YouTube sensation Team Starkid (A Very Starkid Album, Me and My Dick and Starship) which he co-founded in 2009. His 2017 EP entitled "Homework" debuted at #1 on Billboard's Heatseekers Album chart. In the same year, he introduced his indie-pop band Computer Games with his brother Chuck and released their first album "Lost Boys Life EP." Computer Games was nominated as one of Macy's iHeartRadio Rising Stars.