5 seconds of summer
Michael Clifford, the lead guitarist of Australian pop-rock outfit 5 Seconds of Summer, has become the latest member of the band to embark on a solo career, with debut single “Cool” launching his new journey.
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The track follows in much the same vein as what fans of 5 Seconds of Summer may have expected from a Clifford solo venture, with “Cool” capturing the polished rock sound he’s become associated with and pairing it with more introspective songwriting.
“This song speaks for itself, and my hope is that when fans hear the lyrics, they’ll understand me and hopefully themselves a little better,” Clifford said in a statement. “I’ve been deliberating on this music long enough, so I can’t wait for everybody to hear it— and ‘cool’ is just the beginning of what’s to come.
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“I want this project to make people smile,” he added. “I’m just out here doing a bunch of sidequests. Now that I’m a dad, everything other than that feels like a sidequest!”
Released via the pop-punk label Hopeless Records, “Cool” is a taster of Clifford’s forthcoming debut album, SIDEQUEST, which will be detailed at length in the near future. The track was co-written by Clifford alongside his bandmate Calum Hood, and features co-production from acclaimed musicians JT Daly and Andrew Goldstein. It also comes accompanied by a Bobby Hanaford-directed music video.
5 Seconds of Summer first formed in Sydney, Australia in 2011 and released their self-titled debut album in 2014. All five of the band’s albums have peaked atop the Australia ARIA charts, while only 2020’s Calm and 2022’s 5SOS5 prevented the same feat on the Billboard 200, with the records reaching a very respectable peak of No. 2.
Members of the six-time ARIA Award-winning group began launching solo careers following the release of Calm, with drummer Ashton Irwin releasing his Superbloom album in 2020, with second album Blood on the Drums arriving in July 2024.
Vocalist and rhythm guitarist Luke Hemmings would follow suit in 2021 with his debut album When Facing the Things We Turn Away From, following it up with the Boy EP in April 2024. Currently, bassist Hood is the only member of the group to have not issued solo material, though he has been active in the fields of songwriting, composition, and production.
Congratulations are in order for Michael Clifford and his wife Crystal Leigh, who are expecting their first baby together. The 5 Seconds of Summer star and the talent manager shared the happy news with People on Monday (June 12) along with sweet photos holding a sonogram. “I’m filled with excitement and also with nerves,” Clifford […]
5 Seconds of Summer reimagined and brought a heightened sense of emotion to their expansive discography last year, when they performed a number of hits backed by a string orchestra and gospel choir at the world-famous Royal Albert Hall in London.
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For those who were unable to catch the captivating show in person, the four-piece group gifted fans with the announcement that they will be releasing a studio version of the performance, titled The Feeling of Falling Upwards – Live From the Royal Albert Hall, digitally on Friday (April 14).
“We started out as a live band. Our live performances are the best representation of what we had to offer,” bassist Calum Hood tells Billboard of 5SOS’ decision to release their concert as a live album.
Guitarist Michael Clifford agreed, adding, “We came off stage and we were like, that was probably one of the best shows we’ve ever played in our whole lives. Immortalizing it with this album is going to be special, not only for us but also the people who weren’t there.”
Singer Luke Hemmings, who loved the word “immortalized” for the album concept, joked with a laugh, “5SOS Immortalized: The Live Show is definitely the title here.”
The Feeling of Falling Upwards includes reimagined versions of 17 songs from their decade-long careers, plus new songs from their freshly released fifth studio album 5SOS5. “For some of the older songs, it was a bit emotional,” Hemmings shared, mentioning “Outer Space/Carry On” off the group’s sophomore album, Sounds Good Feels Good. “We’ve played it live before, but not like this […] it really leveled up. That’s a song we don’t ever play live and we probably won’t ever again because we won’t play be able to play it as good as we did at the show.”
While riding the nostalgia wave, 5 Second of Summer also pondered the evolution of bands in today’s music industry, with drummer Ashton Irwin noting that the skillset is the biggest difference between past groups and emerging ones. “I think of bands now as mixed media groups, really,” he explains. “It’s not really a guitar, drummer, bassist, singer. It’s more like graphic designer, marketing guy, dude who is good at business and really good top liner.”
“I’ve never looked at it like that,” Hood replies with a laugh.
Hemmings concluded by giving some advice to up-and-coming rock bands, encouraging them to focus on the “basics” of their musicality. “A group or artist’s career will have ebbs and flows, and I feel like if you can rely on whatever your thing is — whether you’re a singer, keyboard player, writer or producer — being able to fall back on those staple ingredients will get you through anything,” he shares. “That’s always been important for us when we have to figure stuff out. We always have these tools to fall back on.”
The group, who is set to go on tour this summer, also shared their Live From the Royal Albert Hall performance of “Youngblood” exclusively with Billboard, in which they sing a slowed down, cinematic version of their 2018 album’s title track, with a haunting string section amplifying the chorus.
Watch it below.
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