“You might understand life, but after a few years you'll be like, 'Oh, I didn't know anything back then.'”
Hemmings took inspiration for the EP from movies like Paris, Texas and Lost in Translation, and his current hairstyle is a nod to Hemmings' famous blonde Nastassja Kinski. It's almost a slight homage to the image. “I was a little inspired by this…” he laughed, pointing to his hair. More importantly, he was concerned with how both films intertwined solitude, movement, landscape, and city. “Boy'' finds the musician exploring the growing pains of his late 20s, as Hemings looks to the places that shaped him.
“For me, the first album sounds a little naive in some ways, and I'm sure this one will be that way in a few years, too. But for now, this is something I'm going to do when I'm in my late 20s and think, 'Oh my god.' means. This feels different and everything else around me looks different. ” he says. “In my experience, you may have some understanding of your life, but in a few years you'll be like, “Oh, I didn't know anything at that age.'' And that will continue to happen until you die. I think I'll continue.'' He paused and laughed. “That's a shame! But that's just the human experience. That's why I think it's important for me to continue to be a part of this project, because it's not just creatively, but personally… Because you can grow as well.”
The growth between now and when Hemmings first entered the music scene at age 16 has been tremendous, and in many ways, his friendship with his 5SOS bandmates has been his saving grace through it all. Masu. He is especially grateful to be able to explore music independently without worrying about the band's future. “We all want the band to last a long time,” he explains. “This may not be the only route to make it happen, but it's certainly one of them. We've got four people who can each write, sing and produce their own solo albums.” But this is really great. That's why the band, to me, is so powerful. We were all able to do it on our own.
“When you’re a band like us, there are things you have to do.” [independently]” he nodded. “For me, for the band to be a traditional band and last for a long time, this was something I needed to explore.”