Cigarettes After Sex lead Greg Gonzalez breaks up with girlfriend, says, ‘I’m back to being free again’ (Exclusive)

Over a course of a decade, musician Greg Gonzalez and his ambient pop band have released around 11 singles, 2 albums and 1 EP. Their discography by and large emanates explicit details about Gonzalez and his partners. There’s a reason he calls his music “erotic lullabies’’, as he has been an open book especially when it comes to his private life. His last known relationship was with writer Nour Petite, the two parted ways last June, withal, he reveals.

“I was in a relationship with my girlfriend and that inspired a lot of songs from the record Cry, and then as far as a lot of the new stuff that’s gonna come out. Later on, I decided to split and just stay friends. We parted ways last July. We’re still very friendly and we have a very good relationship. So now I’m back to being free again and honestly, it feels good. I’m in a better place. I was lucky enough to buy a house in LA, finally. And it’s really sweet,” says Gonzalez as he opens up about the split for the first time ever.

Gonzalez, 40, admits that he has been “single since July”. He elaborates, “I’m not the kind of person that ends a relationship and then jumps in and another. There has to be a period of nothing, because I think that’s how you get over somebody. When I fall in love with somebody, it’s very deep, and it’s very intense. And there has to be a long period of time where I really, truly get over it. I look at that as a positive thing, because I’ve learned so much from loving this person. I think we’ve altered and it’s better for us to have split. I’ll probably remain single for a little while, until it feels right again.”

While he is embracing this phase in his personal life, he admits being “intensely distracted” for his Asian tour as well, which is just a week away. However, the split has nothing to do with it. “There’s like a million things that have to be done. And just like mentally preparing to go back (on stage) because it is very intense. There’s a lot of anticipation and excitement. I’m just really happy to get back to Asia. Playing at Lollapalooza sounds nice, because it’s just gonna be a different energy than what we’ve done in the past shows. A little bit of anxiety but mostly excitement,” Gonzalez shares.

Several fans have claimed that Gonzalez’s soothing voice often calms their anxiety, a compliment the singer self admittedly loves the most. Meanwhile, what calms his anxious thoughts is him playing music and a few deep breaths. “It helps when I play my own song. I don’t tend to listen to my own stuff,” the singer says.

The band will visit Mumbai, after six years, this January with the Lollapalooza debut in the country. Ask him if he has an Indian song that he likes, and he quickly names singer Daler Mehendi and his iconic song Bolo Ta Ra Ra. “Not many of my friends know of him. I know he is very big in India, and there are other Indian artists that are more famous in the US, but he’s one that I feel like I have discovered,” he signs off.