Darren Criss Releases New Single 'F*KN AROUND'

Today, singer and songwriter Darren Criss releases his brand-new single and lyric video, "F*KN AROUND" via BMG; watch the video.

An ode to his garage band upbringing, "F*KN AROUND" is an unapologetic alt-pop head-nod anthem, highlighting Darren's musicianship with his driving dirty bassline groove and even dirtier lead guitar counterparts. This is his first of several upcoming new songs, which Darren describes as "character-driven singles."

About the single, Darren shared on YouTube: "'F*KN AROUND' is a track I started a while back as a pretty simple loop. I built it all around a very simple bass groove that I envisioned as something a brand new bass player could learn as their first song. I added some live drums, piano, and two different lead guitar counterparts, with a vague idea of what the melody and lyric would be. It sat dormant for years because nobody seemed all that interested in it, but I always felt like it had a lot of potential if completed properly. It wasn't until recently that I finally decided to fully flesh it out as a song- and with the help of a string of different writers and producers birthing varying incarnations along the way, the final song ultimately became something of a head-noddin' middle finger anthem to those triflin' people in your life that, despite yourself, you keep finding yourself putting up with... All driven by the attitude of that same simple, driving, dirty bass groove."

Darren will perform the track on The Late Late Show With James Corden on April 13, marking his debut late-night TV performance. "F*KN AROUND" also arrives alongside Darren's three-episode appearance on Season 20 of NBC's The Voice as a Battle Advisor to Team Nick Jonas. Criss' final episode airs April 12 at 8/7c.

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.

His Broadway credits include "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."

Watch the video here: