Nate Ruess, lead vocalist of the indie pop band fun., has announced that he will be pursuing a solo career in 2015, and that he will be starting this off with the release of his debut single, “Nothing Without Love.” The track is set for release on February 23rd. Along with the announcement, Nate posted a video teasing the single. In the clip, Nate is floating in a body of water as he sings part of the song, proclaiming “I am nothing without love / I am but a ship stuck in the sand / some would say that I’m all alone / but I am / I’m nothing without love.” His voice resonates over the crashing of waves as the visual comes to a close, leaving viewers hungry for more.
This announcement comes in the wake of a press release from fun., which announced that the group would be focusing on solo projects for 2015 and taking a brief hiatus from releasing as a band. The band was adamant that they were not breaking up claiming, “the 3 of us have always followed inspiration wherever it leads us. Sometimes that inspiration leads to fun music; sometimes it leads to musical endeavors outside of fun. We see all of it as part of the ecosystem that makes fun, fun.” The other members of the band will also be pursuing individual projects this year, and the band promised that they remain close and are supportive of one another’s ventures.
This is not the first time that Ruess has experimented as a solo artist since fun. exploded onto the scene with Some Nights (their second album) in 2012. In 2013, Ruess lent his vocals to P!nk’s pleading ballad, “Just Give Me a Reason,” which rocketed to the number one spot on the charts. This was Ruess’ first chart topper as a solo artist and his second overall following the success of fun.’s “We Are Young.” Later that year, Ruess jumped on Eminem’s emotional song about his mother entitled “Headlights.” Nate sang on the chorus while Em rapped about finding forgiveness for his mother. Both tracks received critical acclaim, and Ruess’ performance was credited for attributing to their success.
Currently there is no official release date for Ruess’ album; however, it is safe to say that we can expect more music from the musician in 2015. Check out the teaser for “Nothing Without Love” on his official YouTube channel.