The High Kings toured the US and Canada in Sept/Oct of 2018 mostly to sold-out crowds. Following another sold out UK tour in November and a high-profile televised award show in London, Danny O' Donaghue, lead vocalist with multi platinum group The Script spoke on UK radio, hailing Holden as one of his favourite Irish vocalists. In late November,Holden was spotted and snapped at a well known Dublin restaurant having dinner with members of Boyzone. He had been spotted in London earlier that week with Ronan Keating. The High Kings now annual Irish Christmas/New Year concert tour 2018/19 was the band's fastest selling tour to date after they appeared on various Television and Radio shows to promote the dates. The group took on a massive US tour from February 2019 thru April, selling out 30 of 32 concerts to an ecstatic reaction from their ever growing HK USA Army of fans. The tour began in Memphis TN, taking in Nashville, New York, Chicago amongst countless other cities across the States. On 22 May, Darren was once again invited back home to his former school 'Collaiste Cois Siuire' in Mooncoin, to present the 'Student of the Year' awards, as he had done previously in 2017. This time he shared the duties with the highly inspirational woman Vicky Phelan, who had also attended the school as a student. Vicky Phelan has become an icon of Irish culture, due to her ongoing incredible fight to bring justice for all the women given mistaken cervical cancer diagnosis'. Apparently on route to the event, Holden composed a song called "Brave" in his car and sang it for the first time an hour later, as a dedication to Mrs Phelan. According to reports, many attendees were visibly moved by the gesture and by the song itself. Holden was said to be moved by the unveiling of a framed portrait of him that is now on permanent display at the school. A full page interview with Holden was published in the "Munster Express" Newspaper on 29 May 2019. The High Kings returned for the first leg of what turned out to be their highest attended US Tour in July and August, playing in Chicago, Iowa, New York,Sioux City, Milwaukee and many more cities. They performed as a 3 piece and garnered rave reviews from sold-out audiences across the States. Many attendees commented on social media that the band hadn't looked as happy and hadn't blended musically as well in years. The second leg of their American Tour brought full houses and standing ovations and some of the best reviews the band had ever received.