Mercury Records are proud to announce the release of Darius’ fantastic new single – ‘Live Twice’ on the 10th of January 2005.

‘Live Twice’ is the follow up to his top ten smash hit ‘Kinda Love’ and is the second single to be released from his new album; also entitled ‘Live Twice’. The video was shot recently in Spain & features the very horse that Brad Pitt rode in Troy. A truly beautiful song, ‘Live Twice’ showcases Darius at his very best.

Darius’ debut album ‘Dive In’ spawned four hit singles including a number one, ‘Colourblind’ and is certified platinum in the UK. Last summer he embarked on his first ever UK tour which saw him play to sell out audiences the length and breadth of the country. He was also happy to discover that 70% of his audience was made up of very enthusiastic females fans!

‘Live Twice’ – Released on January 10th

:: DARIUS DIVA T-SHIRT COMPETITION ::

ilikemusic.com have got three Darius t-shirts and a signed Darius album to give away.

To be in with a chance of winning, simply send your answer to the question below, along with your name, age, email addy and postal addy to us using the site contact form. Please mark your entry ** DARIUS COMP **

Q: What was Darius's debut album called?

Scarlet Charlotte has a real ball at charity bash

THE girl with the voice of an angel turned into a scarlet woman as she danced the night away with her boyfriend.

Millionaire teenager Charlotte Church looked red hot in a backless full-length satin dress at the La Dolce Vita Ball in London.

At the weekend, Charlotte, 18, had to be rushed to hospital after cutting her finger while slicing bread for a family party.

Three stitches were put in the wound but it seemed there was nothing wrong with her feet as she took to the floor with the love of her life Kyle Johnson at the £1200-a-head UNICEF fundraiser.

Sting sang at the event, which was attended by the cream of London showbiz.

I'm A Celeb star Sophie Anderton showed off her new blonde hairstyle and was all over boyfriend Mark Alexiou.

But the best entrance was from actress Victoria Silvstedt who spilled out of her skimpy clothes as she got out of her taxi. Zara Philips, Peter Stringfellow, Jane Horrocks, Gordon Ramsay and Jenny Frost all appeared.

And Scots crooner Darius arrived with former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell on his arm. He insisted they were 'just good friends'.

Yesterday, Geri joined Darius for an appearance on This Morning but refused to pose for cameras.

Darius told hosts Philip Schofield and Fern Britton: 'We are absolutely best of mates. We have formed quite a wonderful friendship as two Leos in this business, that is so often consumed with materialism and fake friendships - where you shake someone's hand and they smile at you and you are not quite sure what they are after.

'Geri is really an enlightenment as a mate. She's here with me because its her day off and she fancied coming.'

Darius also spoke of his joy at his father's recovery from cancer of the lymph nodes.

He said: 'The doctors say it is, to all intents and purposes, a miraculous recovery. It's the best Christmas present I could get.'

Geri lost for words in party mix-up

SHE is used to being the centre of attention and upstaging others at high-profile events.

But Geri Halliwell got a rude awakening at a lavish charity bash when she turned up unannounced - but expecting to be a star-turn on stage.

The former Spice Girl was left red-faced when she unexpectedly pitched up at the star-studded La Dolce Vita Christmas ball with new beau Darius Danesh and her manager Richard Thompson.

The evening started badly when she arrived at Old Billingsgate Market for the bash and her aides refused to allow pictures of her to be taken inside, much to the annoyance of organisers.

Lenny Henry talking on his mobile in Soho... Nicholas Parsons driving along Old Bond Street... Gordon Ramsay walking hand-in-hand with his son on London's Saville Row... Angelina Jolie shopping in Lush cosmetics store on the King's Road...

And it got worse. Geri and her aides had got it into their heads that she was expected to make a speech in front of the VIP crowd and then introduce superstar Sting's performance.

In fact she even hastily scribbled her speech on the back of a menu, but sadly her services were not required.

And to make matters worse, instead of sitting up front with the likes of Sadie Frost, Charlotte Church, Elle Macpherson, Sophie Anderton, Penny Lancaster and Jemima Khan poor Geri was relegated to a seat near the kitchen. Says our insider: "We didn't know Geri was coming until we saw her. She wasn't a guest of UNICEF or invited by them. "But because she was a celebrity she was just waved through.

"The other quests had tickets, but Geri and her party didn't have them with them and had to put some calls in to sort out where they going to sit. It was really embarrassing.

"It was also odd she wouldn't be photographed inside as bigger stars had posed without a fuss because the snaps were sold for a good cause."

Continues our source at the £1,200 per head event: "Her manager had told her that she was going to be giving a speech, but that was never going to be the case. She often talks about her role as a UN ambassador which, of course, has nothing to do with UNICEF.

"She also believed she was to introduce Sting but again that couldn't happen because he never gets introduced before his entrance. Before he performs there's a video and he comes on stage and gets on with the performance..

"Geri and her manager were going up to the sound techies repeatedly asking when she was going on - and it wasn't going go happen. In the end she was looking at her manager as if to say 'What have you got me into?'. It was all so humiliating." Geri retreated to her seat to be comforted by Darius and left half-way through Sting's set.

Yesterday her manager Richard explained: "She was there as my guest. The UNFPA, which is the branch of the UN Geri works for, wanted her to give a speech but the request didn't reach my office until the very last minute. So it was all a bit confusing.

"And as for the photos, I simply asked the snappers to wait until later in the evening. She wasn't there in her official capacity."

Very diplomatic ...

THEY arrived together and spent most of the evening whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears before disappearing off into the night. But Darius Danesh, still insists he and new best mate Geri are "just good friends".

The lanky Scot, who has been seeing the poodle-haired former Spice Girl for just over two months, told us: "There's nothing going between us, honestly. The thing is we're both Leos and we get on really well and we like hanging out - but nothing else. We met at a cancer charity event. I went because my father was diagnosed with cancer this year and Geri also has strong ties to the charity.

"We are just really flirtatious and touchy-feely. But she's definitely not my girlfriend."

Oh dear, bet Geri will be chuffed to hear that Darius.

HE'S TV's Mr Nasty - but Simon Cowell's actually been saying good things about Darius.

But don't anyone start thinking the X Factor villain has turned over a new leaf.

Because while he is full of praise for Pop Idol star Darius, he reckons the Scots singer's new album sucks.

Simon said: 'I would hang out with Darius, he's a good guy.

'I advised him not to write his own material. His new stuff hasn't worked out at all. His first album did well off the back of the show but these artists all think they're great songwriters.

'Writing a hit song is more difficult than having a good voice. I don't like his album.'

UK pop sensation Darius Danesh gets his first taste of India.

Lalitha Suhasini

Mumbai, December 9: SUGAR and spice is what the Indian experience is all about, for singer Darius Danesh. He’s in India for the first time, to perform at the second MTV Indian Music Excellence Awards (IMMIES). ‘‘My younger brother got here first and told me great stories,’’ says the 24-year-old, whose Colourblind catapulted him to the top of the pop charts, two years ago.

He plans to pack it all in, since he’s here just for the weekend. ‘‘I’m dying to lie down on my back and look at the Indian sky because my brother told me it’s the most beautiful experience,’’ he says earnestly. And if that sounds quite inane, it’s not the only reason he’s here.

Danesh has just released his second album, Live Twice. ‘‘It’s a more mature album of romantic ballads,’’ he says, ‘‘It’s feel-good, upbeat pop-rock.’’ Incidentally, the six-footer is a product of the UK talent hunt, Pop Idol, but decided to go solo because he wanted creative independence. Yet he believes the hunt’s a great platform for aspiring singers.

At the awards function, he plans to perform Colourblind, Rushes and a sneak preview of the title track from his second album. Here’s a real pop idol—eat your heart out!

(Danesh will perform at the MTV IMMIES, at Tulip Star hotel, Juhu at 7.00 pm on December 10)

Pop pedestals: George Michael, Seal and Enrique Iglesias

Indian allure: Curries, ornaments and fabrics, in that order

You can knock a guy off a music reality show, you can forget about him for a few months but if he’s got the talent he’ll be back. In Darius’s case, he came back with a Platinum selling #1 hit “Colourblind” - a song he wrote on the back of a bus ticket.

Only 20 when he was eliminated from the Popstars, Darius told the judges, that before he was 35, he’d have a hit track. Only months later U2 Producer Steve Lillywhite noticed him on Pop Idols (he made it to the top 3) and signed him on to Mercury records. The result was debut album DIVE IN which featured hits “Colourblind” and “Rushes”. The album showed off Darius’ rich baritone with most of the songs written and produced by him.

Born in Glasgow and named after a Persian king (his name means Good Man), Darius' first performance was at the age of 4 for the musical Peter Pan. Grown up on a healthy dose of The Beatles, George Michael, Alanis Morissette (a fellow IMMIES performer)and Seal, Darius always found himself drawn to acoustic guitar and mush ballads.

Now 24, Darius is poised to release his second album LIVE TWICE, an emotional offering, part inspired by a split up with his ex-girlfriend and a sprinkling of pop ballads.

Watch the Scottish hottie perform live at the IMMIES on Sun Dec 19th, 8 pm only on MTV

Christmas delight for Darius - dad's winning cancer battle

DARIUS says he's on 'cloud nine' because his father has been given good news in his cancer battle.

The Scots singer, who appeared at Radio Clyde's Cash For Kid's bash in Glasgow yesterday, said he felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders after receiving the good news on Friday that dad Booth Danesh is in remission.

He said: 'This is the greatest Christmas present ever, my dad's cancer has been halted in its tracks. In the doctor's words it's no less than a miraculous recovery, nothing short of a miracle.'

Darius said he and his family have been elated since they were told his father was doing so well.

He said: 'Dad was told he did not have long at the beginning, but he is better thanks to conventional and alternative treatments. It is amazing that it halted his cancer. I'm on cloud nine.'

Darius, who dedicated his latest album Live Twice to his dad, also revealed that his parents went on holiday earlier this week to celebrate the good news.

He said: 'Mum and dad had their first break away together as a couple in 10 years.

'They've not been on holiday together since they had kids - and my brother Syrus is now nine-years-old.

'The last time they went away was one year before he was born. Since then, they've always taken him with them. They didn't tell me where they were going because it was a mum and dad thing.'

Darius said his brother Aria, who had started modelling in between his medical studies, also changed his life path when he heard about his dad's illness.

He told: 'Aria took a year out of his medical studies to work with Shelter, the homeless charity, and spend time with dad.

'I was going to put my album on hold, but now I'm so glad to see that he could live to see it being released and performed. Who cares if it's a white Christmas this year? Right now everything is rose tinted.

'I'd like to thank everyone for their prayers and support and extend my best wishes to all families facing the same battle.'

Darius will jet off to India next Wednesday for the MTV Asia Awards where he'll appear with Alanis Morissette.

He said: 'I'm headlining with Alanis and I'm looking forward to a good curry and a knees-up. She was my childhood inspiration as a teenager, along with George Michael.

She was the foremost writer of angst rock and an idol for men and women, even though she was a slow burner.

'I can't wait to meet her in Mumbai. I'm also looking forward to an authentic curry that'll blow my head off - and other things.'

Darius continued to deny the ongoing speculation that he is dating Geri Halliwell.

He said: 'It's flattering to be associated with a girl, whether she is famous or not. As a man, if I go out with friends and there's a girl there, people think we're together.

'The girl I'm kissing under the mistletoe this year doesn't even know it yet.'