5 Seconds of Summer: Ashton Irwin announces surprise solo album

5 Seconds of Summer drummer Ashton Irwin has announced he is going solo.  

The 26-year-old rocker sent fans into a frenzy on Thursday when he revealed he was releasing a full-debut album next month.

‘The overarching narrative is support system, healing, recovery, strength and focus on true self. I felt like I had a lot to write about,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.

Ashton revealed the lyrics on his upcoming album, Superbloom, were inspired by his childhood, depression, alcoholism and body dysmorphia.

‘I had to reach a certain level of lyrical maturity in order to write about something I actually cared about,’ he said.

‘I think it’s always important as an artist to have a mission statement, like, “Why do you make music? Why do you write the lyrics you write?”‘

His first single, Skinny Skinny, tackles body image, which is something he ‘never confronted in a creative form’ before.

‘I have been through stages in my life where I’ve been sickened by that state of mind,’ he explained.

Ashton played Superbloom to his 5SOS bandmates, Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford and Calum Hood, a few hours after completing it.

‘I wasn’t scared because I’d told myself, “Trust yourself. You’re proud of this record and you know these guys are your best mates and they will f**king get it,”‘ he said. 

‘It was awesome, I felt stoked to show them,’ he added.

Ashton’s debut album, Superbloom, will be released on October 23