Jamie Hewlett Talks Gorillaz Split, Future Projects

When Damon Albarn announced the end of Gorillaz recently, he chalked it up to a falling out with partner Jamie Hewlett and alluded to “very juvenile” reasons for the split, which was triggered by the duo being at “cross purposes” on recent efforts. Happily, Hewlett offered a somewhat sunnier take on the end of the band during a recent interview — and didn’t rule out future collaborations with Albarn.

While conceding that Gorillaz has definitely “run its course for now,” Hewlett insisted that “it doesn’t mean it’s packed away for good” and said he looks forward to working on “completely different” projects with Albarn. But for now, he admits he’s just enjoying some time off: “I got tired of all the stuff I had been doing – working on computers and doing animation and the endless conveyor belt of drawings required for a project like the Gorillaz.”

According to Hewlett, the split was only natural after so much time together. “We’ve lived in each other’s pockets for the last 13 years: we shared an apartment, our kids have grown up together, we’ve been inseparable for a long time, and sometimes it’s good to have a break,” he explained. “We haven’t fallen out, I just want to do some of my own stuff, and Damon has many projects – he’s always doing 10 things at once – so it’s all right to separate for a bit and try different things.”

When they do reconvene, Hewlett sounds confident that there will be no shortage of material to work from. “The ideas come thick and fast” when he works with Albarn, which he described as “an enjoyable process.”