Today, singer and songwriter Darren Criss releases his newest single, “for a night like this,” via BMG: LISTEN HERE. The release comes alongside the exciting announcement of his upcoming EP, Masquerade, out August 20. Pre-save HERE.
“for a night like this” arrives on the heels of two previously released singles, “i can’t dance” and “f*kn around,” each showcasing a completely different side of Darren as an artist. 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.”
Billboard described “f*kn around” as “a slick alt-pop single built around a wiggly bass line.” MTV News praised, “With synthy distortions and a banging guitar loop, the song echoes the sharper edges of contemporaries like Shawn Mendes and Justin Timberlake’s with a theatrical flair fans have come to expect from Criss.” Darren made his late-night television performance debut with the single on The Late Late Show with James Corden alongside Este Haim of HAIMon bass, The Pocket Queen on drums, frequent collaborator and San Fermin front woman Charlene Kaye on guitar, and the track’s co-writer CJ Baran on keys.
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. Crisshas 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.
