Serge Pizzorno has described his new solo project The S.L.P. as an "outlet to keep [him] sane".
Kasabian’s chief songwriter-and-guitarist has just released his debut single ‘Favourites’ featuring his rapper friend Little Simz, which is about how people present themselves as having the perfect life on social media, and he has explained that he decided to start the project as a place to showcase the "extreme sides" of his "personality".
He said: "These are the extreme sides of my personality that I can explore.
"This is another place that I can visit. Now that it exists, I can go there whenever I want. It’s an outlet to keep me sane."
On the meaning behind the track and wanting Simz to be involved from the start, he told NME.com: "It’s a question of identity in the digital age. We flick through all these photos to choose the favourite, go out on a date and move on before it’s even ended.
"Some of us maybe laugh about the use of ‘the favourite’.
"I was having a 3am session and this track evolved.
"That’s when I realised that it needed Little Simz to be on it, because she’s incredible. I explained what the track was all about to her and she was just buzzing."
The ‘You’re In Love With a Psycho’ hitmaker admitted he enjoyed having the "freedom" to have full creative control and said it felt like a great "luxury" being given a "little window" to experiment whilst Kasabian took a break.
He said: "Kasabian organised some time off, and I’ve never afforded myself that luxury – well, none of us have really.
"We’ve never stopped. I found a perfect little window to experiment and see where that took me.
"I just enjoyed that freedom of being able to do whatever.
"I had been writing notes in my phone.
"I was interested in people having these online personas and this perfect projection of themselves; do you know what I mean? This is what we put out there, but in reality none of us are really like that."
The rocker reassured fans that his solo career won’t got in the way of his band, as he’s also been busy writing songs for their follow-up to 2017’s ‘For Crying Out Loud’.
Serge says penning tracks for The S.L.P. took him out of his "comfort zone" and will mean he can bring a whole new perspective to the ‘Processed Beats’ group when they hit the studio again.
He said: "If something feels good, then you should follow the art.
"Great zones don’t come from comfort zones. This feels great now, and it’s great that I’ve got the time to do it.
"Kasabian is a huge machine that we’ve created. There’s a routine and you’re safe in that place, but you need something else to happen. "Sometimes there needs to be a storm in the harbour.
"You need for everyone to go, ‘Woah, what’s going on?’ When the day breaks, you see the clarity.
"Me having something else to do means that when we come back I’ll be in a whole new headspace that wasn’t possible before."
Serge also teased that there could be a whole album to come from his side outlet.
He said: "There may be. We’re going to see how it goes. I’m never out of the studio. That’s my place. I’m always writing, always working. Luckily that’s my job."
Serge Pizzorno’s solo project is an ‘outlet to keep him sane’
