Last July we here at Celeb mix did an interview with Fourth Divide band-member, Michael King, you can read the interview on our website.
Since the last time we met up with the Michael, a lot has happened.
Fourth Divide are sadly no more, after the group called it a day and decided to pursue solo careers.
Here we meet up with the now solo young rising star, to find out exactly why the band split, what his solo plans are and what he hopes to achieve in the future.
What made you split up from Fourth Divide?
After Jack decided to leave the band, myself and Tovia tried for a while to find new band members but nothing felt like it worked and ‘Fourth Divide’ really was myself, Tovia, Jack and Chloe – nobody could be replaced, therefore we decided it’s for the best to take things solo.
Are you still close with any of the band members?
We do all still talk, I mean we’re all going for a meal in London to celebrate one year since we first met on Friday (19th February) which will be really nice and a great opportunity to catch up.
Would you ever consider joining another group?
Do you find being solo easier than being in a band?
I feel like I get a lot more control over my sound and career. With Fourth Divide it was four different musical tastes and opinions all being pushed into one sound that we actually could agree on, but being solo and having my boyfriend James as my producer allows me to try different styles of music, play around with various things and listen to what I think sounds good. Sometimes with Fourth Divide I had to do some songs that really didn’t suit my voice, but now the music I choose only has to suit my voice and I don’t have to search for longer to discover music that compliments four very different voices.
How do you think your solo music differs to that of Fourth Divide?
With my first cover of ‘Sledgehammer’ it kept to the pop sound that we concentrated on with Fourth Divide, so I’ll be 50% sticking to a similar sound. But I really want to explore a slightly R&B/Dance sound. Something along the lines of Zendaya’s new single ‘Something New’, what I really love about that song is the vibe of a really lazy beat with a jazz style synth as the hook.
Describe your solo sound in three words?
Pop, laid-back and fun.
Would you ever consider entering a show like X Factor, now that you are solo?
Not really, I don’t really think that process is for me any-more. I have a few friends who’ve been down that route and they’ve all said not to do it, also I think James would kill me if I decided to audition for X Factor.
If you could collaborate with any artist who would you choose?
Mollie King from The Saturdays because that would literally complete all of my life goals, but also Shawn Mendes, I feel like our voices have the small potential to sound nice together.
Who is your favourite singer at the moment?
Ella Henderson, hands down – she’s so talented and underrated it’s unreal.
Realistically I’d love to have been on a small headline tour, release an album and maybe have a top twenty single. Anything bigger than that honestly would be a dream come true.
You can listen to Michael King’s cover of ‘Sledgehammer’ via his website.
You can keep updated with Michael on Twitter by following his official account.
What do you think of Michael King’s music? Let us know over on Twitter @CelebMix or leave a comment below.