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02 December 2008 01:58 BST

Gavin Rossdale: Going solo made me a musical monk

As one half of one of the best-looking celebrity couples on the planet, Gavin Rossdale's more than accustomed to the harsh glare of fame. But while his global success as the lead singer of grunge greats Bush and his marriage to Gwen Stefani have always left him accompanied in the spotlight, deciding to release a solo album represents a much more intimidating prospect.

Picking production legend Bob Rock to mix the record meant more than just working alongside the man behind The Black Album - Rossdale left wife Gwen and two-year-old son Kingston back in their Primrose Hill home to record in the sun-bleached surroundings of Rock's private studio in Maui, Hawaii.

And with the solo album Wanderlust revealing an expansive and ambitious move into more mellow territory for Kilburn-born Rossdale, it's clear that the island paradise provided more than just a tan for the singer.

inthenews.co.uk's Lewis Bazley met the former Bush frontman in a north London pub to discuss fame, fatherhood and going it alone.

So Gavin, it's your first solo album - is it nerve-wracking to be away from a band?

The more interviews I do, the more I realise I've a strange habit of finding myself in bizarre situations, like this charming room in Camden. I'm a natural band person, so it's weird. It was really even in Bush and then Institute was basically a solo record to start off with and then I did the press, and it sort of became a stepping stone for the solo album. It's actually not a bad record but it was too confusing for people, you know 'Is it Bush, is it a solo record?'. No, it's Prostitute… sorry, Institute! (laughs)

But you had considered doing it as a Bush record - why didn't you?

I offered both of my last two records to them, and for two months, Wanderlust was actually going to be a Bush record. It was a really happy two months, I felt like I was allowed back home, but then one guy decided he didn't want to tour. It's hard enough making a good record - you've got to tour it.

You've done acoustic versions of your own stuff and seemed comfortable, so why's it taken you this long to do it?

I didn't want to leave my band! I never would have voluntarily left Bush to do a solo album, I like those bands that stay together, like REM. With Institute, I toured a lot with U2 and when you watch Bono and the Edge together, it's quite inspiring.

What went wrong with Institute?

Just timing, I think. Bush still gets played a lot and if my voice comes on the radio, it takes away from Bush stuff, so it's just too confusing. I do stand by the record, it's just a certain type of rock record. The first single got to number 20 then it died away and the label told me they wanted another song to push the record. But it had been out for six months! So I wrote five songs, because I thought 'I'm gonna f*****g nail this', and then that was the start of the solo album!

To read the rest of the inthenews.co.uk interview with Gavin Rossdale, click here

And to watch the video for the stunning Love Remains the Same, click here