Darren Criss has been charming audiences through song, screen and stage for over a decade and has amassed over 371,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
Criss’ music has all the catchiness of hit Broadway tunes and the lyricality of today’s best songwriters. Additionally, his ability to charm audiences through song is what has brought him to fame.
Criss is most well-known for his portrayal of Blaine Anderson on the popular television series “Glee.” Through this role, Criss became one of the most beloved characters on the show and was given many opportunities to showcase his talents.
Some of his most popular covers he sang while on the show include “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” “Cough Syrup” and my personal favorite “Somewhere Only We Know.”
Even though he identifies as heterosexual in real life, Criss describes the experience of playing a character in a gay relationship in the early 2000s as “awesome.”
Off-screen, Criss has also released many of his own albums. His first EP “Human” was released in 2010, prior to his appearance in “Glee.” The EP consists of five songs and I believe it to be one of his best works.
The songs do an excellent job of depicting what it feels like to be alive and in love when you are a young person. My favorite song off the track is “Sami.” The song was originally written to be used in the Starkid production “Little White Lie.”
Criss released other EPs in 2017 and 2021 titled “Homework” and “Masquerade.” Both of these EPs have five songs as well.
However, Criss’ most popular musical release is his album “A Very Darren Crissmas,” which was released in 2021. Fans of Criss’s rendition of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” alongside co-star Chris Colfer were serenaded once again by Criss’ smooth voice while he sang popular Christmas songs such as “(Everybody’s Waiting For) The Man With The Bag” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”
When making a Christmas album, Criss wanted to do more than include songs that people already knew. He wanted to include songs that had a personal connection to him and songs that many people had never heard before, according to Criss on his website .
“Every eclectic choice led this album to feel astutely true to its namesake: a very, indisputably, ‘me’ Christmas,” Criss said on his website .
Criss toured for the album in 2022 and 2023, but he has not announced if he will be doing a Christmas tour again this year.
In my opinion, Criss’ greatest work was done while he was a student at the University of Michigan and a member of Starkid Productions. There, he worked on the creation of “A Very Potter Musical,” “A Very Potter Sequel” and “A Very Potter Senior Year.” For fans of the franchise, these musicals are a must-see.
The hilarious dialogue manages to stay true to the original characters while making them seem even more real and true to the books than in the movies. Additionally, the songs written for the musicals help to move the plot forward, are well-sung and choreographed, and are hilarious. Popular songs from the musicals include “Goin’ Back to Hogwarts,” “Granger Danger” and “Gettin’ Along.”
In the musical, Criss starred as Harry Potter and put on an unrivaled performance. His ability to stay in character despite the chaos that was depicted in the musicals was impressive and, of course, his singing in the shows was impressive as ever.
Criss’ connection to the theater led him to become a co-founder of Elsie Fest in 2015. The event celebrates beloved show tunes from the stage and screen. This year, Criss invited many famous performers including Lizzie McAlpine, Rachel Zegler and Jordan Fisher to perform. Fans of “Glee” were treated at this year’s Elsie Fest with a Warbler Reunion and a performance of Criss singing “Movin’ Out” by Billy Joel alongside Chord Overstreet who played Sam Evans on the show.
Currently, Criss is starring on Broadway in the production of “Maybe Happy Ending” as Oliver. The musical follows two robots designed to help people who manage to form a connection with each other that challenges what they think is possible for themselves.