Nathan Sykes has successfully gone solo.
The 22-year-old English singer and former member of The Wanted (the band is currently on a break after splitting up over one year ago) has released the debut single "Kiss Me Quick" from his forthcoming album —which will mark his first solo project since his exit from the popular boyband.
He also kicked off his first solo tour earlier this month in Glasgow and performed eight shows in the U.K.—all of which were sold out. So, how is he feeling now that he has successfully launched his solo career?
"We did say it was just going to be a break and I was like ‘What am I going to do?' and I was like 'OK, I'm gonna do what I love because I'm far too young to stop doing what I absolutely adore doing,'" he told E! News during an interview at The Grove in Los Angeles. "So I was like, 'OK, I'm going to go into the studio and see what happens' and the music was really strong—we found a sound really quickly."
Asked whether he keeps in touch with his fellow bandmembers, including Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Tom Parker and Jay McGuiness, Sykes replied, "Everyone's very busy so maybe not as much as I like, but everyone's really working hard and it's really good to see."
During his chat with E! News, Sykes shared where he finds the inspiration for his songs, many of which he pens himself. "Just from my personal life, really. I talk about various relationships—relationships that could've been that nearly were."
He also revealed whether he's open to collaborating with One Direction or even Zayn Malik following the 22-year-old singer's exit from the band—but you'll have to press play to hear his response!
With regards to the songs on his upcoming album, Sykes said there's a mix of upbeat singles and slower ballads, one of which he wrote about his relationship with ex-girlfriend Ariana Grande.
"With the happy songs, they're very upbeat, quite playful and really lighthearted…but the ballads are a bit more emotional and they go quite deep," she said. "I poured my heart out a tiny bit in a couple of the songs, but yeah, that's a relationship [with Grande] that happened in my life and as a writer who draws from personal relationships and experiences, I think it's just natural that there's a song that fits that time in my life."
Are you excited for Sykes new music? Tell us in the comments!