5 Seconds of Summer singer Luke Hemmings made his solo debut with the single “Starting Line,” teasing a solo album as well.
Luke Hemmings is at the “Starting Line” of His Solo Career
A shimmering power ballad, “Starting Line” is a collaboration with producer and songwriter Sammy Witte (Maggie Rogers, Jessie Ware). It takes the role as the lead single off Hemmings’ solo debut LP When Facing the Things We Turn Away From, which comes out on August 13.
As Hemmings began “writing on acoustic guitar and piano upstairs” in his house, the album began to take shape. What emerged was a profound reflection on his life thus far. As Hemmings explained in the description of the visualizer, “Lyrically and sonically, this album has allowed me to decipher the last 10 years of my life. Help me make sense of the person I am today and how I got here.”
“Starting Line” discusses “missing various memories,” Hemmings explains in a statement. “You’re reflecting on your youth and all of the madness and craziness. It’s like you’re forgetting so many pieces of your life—not from vices or anything—but from the sheer volume. I had to figure out how to fill a lot of gaps for myself in a positive way. It’s the human condition to change everything up after so long.”
He’s Not The First 5SOS Member to go Solo
Hemmings is not the first member of 5SOS to go solo, though. Last year, his bandmate and 5SOS drummer Ashton Irwin surprised fans by releasing his first solo music outside of the band. In September, he released his debut solo single “Skinny Skinny”. He also announced his debut solo album. “It brings me the greatest joy of all that I am in a band that allows me to create freely inside and outside of it. I can’t wait for you to hear it,” he shared on his social media.
5SOS’ most recent album, CALM, arrived last March 27, just after the pandemic shut down the entertainment industry. It peaked at number two in the U.S.; and became the band’s fourth straight number one album in their home country of Australia.
