"Starting Line" is the debut solo single from 5 Seconds of Summer frontman Luke Hemmings. He began writing the power ballad after hearing the synth riff his producer, Sammy Witte (Maggie Rogers, Jessie Ware), came up with. When Hemmings sat at his piano, the first line - "In and out of focus. Moments that I keep" - jumped into his head. As he figured out what it meant, the lyrics about missing out on memories started to flow.
Joining 5 Seconds of Summer as lead singer at just 15, Hemmings spent the next decade caught up in the craziness of the music industry. Spending so much of his youthful life in the spotlight meant the young Australian wasn't able to experience normal adolescent life and make teenage memories. This song finds him reflecting on what he missed out on. Said Hemmings: "It's like you're forgetting so many pieces of your life - not from vices or anything - but from the sheer volume. I had to figure out how to fill a lot of gaps for myself in a positive way. It's the human condition to change everything up after so long."
Hemmings started writing the tracks for When Facing the Things We Turn Away From after being separated from his bandmates because of the COVID lockdowns. This song ties in with the theme of a lot of the tracks on the album - the idea that time is slipping away from him.
See your Spotify stats (with number of plays and minutes listened) and discover new music.
Music data, artist images, album covers, and song previews are provided by Spotify. Spotify is a trademark of Spotify AB.