Australian singer-songwriter Luke Hemmings welcomes his solo music career with a brand new single, titled “Starting Line.” Along with the single, the 5SOS member also announced his debut solo studio album. The song takes a deep dive into the singer’s life, and it doesn’t necessarily paint a colorful picture.
“Starting Line” is the lead single from Luke Hemmings’ debut solo studio album ‘When Facing the Things We Turn Away From.’ Announcing the album, Luke had a lot to unload. While explaining his inspiration behind his solo music journey, he also thanked his bandmates of 5 Seconds of Summer for their continuous support.
I couldn’t be prouder to introduce you to “When Facing the Things We Turn Away From”; a project that grew out of a year of enforced stillness. I’m so grateful for the journey this album has taken me on and I’m so thankful to have had this creative outlet during my time at home. Lyrically and sonically, this album has allowed me to decipher the last 10 years of my life and help me make sense of the person I am today and how I got here.
It will be released everywhere August 13. Today, you can hear a first taste of the album; “Starting Line”.
Thank you to my brothers in 5sos for your support and allowing me to pursue this project. Endless love to you.
As Luke Hemmings suggests, the album was born out of the pandemic-stricken isolation. Hence, we are likely to find a lot of song tackling hopelessness and despair in this album.
Listen to “Starting Line” by Luke Hemmings
Buy ‘When Facing the Things We Turn Away From’ Album on Apple Music & Amazon
“Starting Line” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
In the song, Luke Hemmings unravels some emotions that he deals with. He talks about a feeling of numbness that has overtaken him for some years now. Is it normal? He doesn’t even know anymore. 5 Seconds of Summer has had a stellar journey since its inception in 2011. They have become one of the best-selling bands of this generation and have amassed millions of fans all over the world. However, none of these accolades shielded their lead singer from feeling like a drained pulp after a decade.
I wake up every morning with the years ticking by
I’m missing all these memories, maybe they were never mine
I feel the walls are closing
The chorus of the song (above) gets even darker. Luke Hemmings laments the thought that time fades away around him fast. His journey in the band would have been so exhilarating and accelerating all day every day of the year. The 2020 global pandemic put an instant break to this fast-paced lifestyle. Being locked down in our own small rooms and away from his team members, Luke would have felt like the walls are closing in on him.
Luke Hemmings did mention that the entire album was born “out of a year of enforced stillness” referring to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions around the world. This makes this song so much more relatable to all of us who had to halt our normal life and restrict to a seemingly never-ending period of isolation.
I’m running out of the time
I think I missed the gun at the starting line
A gun-shot sound is used at athletic events to signal the start of a race. At high-level track events, the reaction time from hearing the gun sound to starting the run makes all the difference in winning or losing. ‘Missing the gun at the starting line’ could be a reference to a feeling the singer is left behind by the entire world. He is just not able to catch up.
Luke Hemmings tells us that he fights to feel anything at times. He uses two metaphors “standing on the Sun,” and “biting on my tongue” just to see if he feels anything. It is scary to be in his position.
Hopefully, this song provides some relief to all those who look for some escape from isolation.
Being the lead singer of one of the most popular boybands active, we expect big things from Luke Hemmings from his solo career. Let us hear your thoughts on the single and the expectations of the album in the comments below.
Check out the complete lyrics on Genius.
Nice artist