'Glee' Sensation Darren Criss Gets 'Bonkers' for the Cameras -- A Day in the Life

Darren Criss has stolen Gleeks' hearts and grabbed the attention of Sony music execs since his November debut as Blaine on the hit musical series 'Glee.' The rising star plays the frontman of the all-boy a cappella group the Warblers, and recently announced his plans to release his own solo studio album.

AOL Music met up with the singing sensation at his home in Los Angeles and followed him around all day, grabbing fly-on-the-wall footage and intimate interviews with Darren for an exclusive look at a typical day in the life.

"I'm like, never here, man," the 24-year-old apologizes, when asked how he likes his nice new house. "I get home, crash, and I'm out the door." This is his second 'Ellen' appearance in as many months. Immediately following the taping he has to run back home to grab his guitar and gear, then head back out for a friends-and-family solo set at legendary Sunset Strip venue The Roxy's intimate upstairs room, On the Rox.

"Should I invite Ellen tonight?" Criss asks with a dark grin. "Who else is on the show? Gwyneth [Paltrow]? Should I invite Gwyneth?" The response is resoundingly positive from the members of the tinted-out SUV as we speed towards Burbank, Calif.

Though he needs to buy some equipment for tonight's show and still doesn't have his set figured out, he seems calm -- poised even -- as he describes his "bonkers" schedule of late.

"Keep in mind the amount of days that I've been going," he says, recounting his sleepless week. "I'm not bragging, here. This is me admitting that I'm somewhat insane, and I probably should be committed at some point in my life. It was one long day, starting Wednesday of last week. We had like fourteen-hour shoots Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. We got off Friday at 1:30AM and I decided to drive down to Coachella to see my brother. I did Coachella for two days -- just had a blast, went crazy, had a lot of fun. My manager was like 'don't stay Sunday; you gotta be ready for the rest of the week.' Of course I didn't follow his advice. So we kept going and then I got on a plane, and I was ready to go to sleep, but I was sitting next to the Black Eyed Peas, which was like the coolest thing ever. I was like, 'I can't sleep now, I gotta talk to these guys!' I talked to apl.de.ap and Taboo, so that was really cool, and that was yesterday? No ... almost yesterday."

Read the full interview and watch the exclusive A Day in the Life video at AOL Music.

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