Nate Ruess Talks Solo Career, Album During Fun. Hiatus

There will not be a new fun. album. There will not be a long list of tour dates announced. There will be no fun. at all, actually. That's because Nate Ruess cancelled all those plans late last summer.

"I handled things poorly," he told Rolling Stone. "It was a sloppy, long, kind of 'Guys, I've got something that I really want to do, and I need the opportunity to do that.' The emotional me got in there, but I was gonna be a lot happier making this album by myself.

"Sometimes when you act, you just act like a fool. You just hope that you learn from it."

It's a major upset that fun. didn't force out a second big-label album after the massive success of 2012's Some Nights. The LP scored a trio of radio hits—"Some Nights," "We Are Young" and "Carry On"—while creating an international fan base overnight. Last year, the group had studio time booked and were expected to release a tour schedule.

"People were expecting a lot out of the next fun. album," Ruess said. "Everybody wanted to squeeze every last drop out of it, but those things are hard to duplicate. The smartest way to look at things is to know they're never going to happen again. People thought I was f---ing nuts, but I'm not out to chase something. I'm out to be happy."

Apparently, the successful album was both a blessing and a curse.

"Some Nights was a huge catalyst for my happiness, but it also helped me identify my problems a bit more," he said. "I remember when we won the Grammys; everybody was very happy, and rightfully so. But I was like 'we didn't win Album of the Year,' which is the dumbest f---ing thing ever."

Guitarist Jack Antonoff, who helped out Taylor Swift on her new record, 1989, will continue working with his new project, Bleachers. Meanwhile, Ruess is prepping a solo album with several songs initially intended for fun.

"I'm writing and singing these songs about myself. When you work with producers versus bandmates, that line becomes a lot less blurry."

Pour out a drink for fun., and relive the glory days below:

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Fun., Nate Ruess