Fresh from being unmasked as the Robin on Saturday night TV sensation The Masked Singer, Aston Merrygold has dropped his new solo single Overboard, a smooth and sultry R&B meets pop affair with a little bit of a seafaring feel, and not just when it comes to the name of the track. 

The nautical theme continues way into the lyrics, as Merrygold uses the verses to sing: “What's happening captain? / We're like two ships passing / Slowly in the night, oh my, yeah / What's wavy, baby, you're smiling, but I see / Lonely in your eyes, you alright?”, and “Nobody's watching, don't hear what we say / Middle of the ocean, just you and me, lady / Nobody can save us, so far out of trace / Like Mars and Venus, we so outta space”.

The track is the JLS singer’s first solo release since Whine Up in 2019. His debut solo single, Get Stupid which was released in the summer of 2015, has wracked up well over 14 million online streams on Spotify, and now he’s back in the studio and releasing new music, the 32-year-old clearly has his sights set on similar success.

Merrygold’s next endeavour will be with his JLS bandmates though. The four-piece, comprised of Merrygold, Marvin Humes, JB Gill and Oritse Williams, will be taking to the road as part of their JLS reunion tour, which was originally scheduled for last November, only for the Coronavirus pandemic to force a postponement.

Now rescheduled to kick off this June, the tour will begin in Belfast and feature 28 dates across 15 different arenas around the UK, culminating in back to back shows at London’s 02 on the 16th and 17th of July. 

The Beat Again tour would have signalled a number of landmarks for the band. Writing on their official website September last year, JLS said: “2020 felt like the right time as it marks a lot of important anniversaries for us… It’s the 12th anniversary of JLS being a group, the 11th anniversary of our debut album release and 10 years since we became the Best British Breakthrough Act at the Brits!! So, since there is so much for us to celebrate, we decided there was one thing we just HAD to do… GO ON TOUR!!”

Merrygold and co will of course be hoping the rearranged gigs go ahead this year, but for updates and ticket news, please visit the official JLS website.

Watch the official lyric video for Overboard here.

Author: Joe Sharratt

Joe Sharratt is a writer and journalist based in the UK covering music, literature, sport, and travel.