Lee Ryan is back and confessing all

–Rebecca Caroline contributed with this article

Honesty and maturity: Lee Ryan is back with his new album laying his soul bare for the world to see. After four years away from the music business, Ryan returns with a new album “Confessions”, featuring songs on heartache and loneliness – a stark contrast to his pop days in Blue.

“One thing I’ve always been is quite honest and with me a lot of people know that what you see is what you get, ” Ryan says. “From what I’ve been told about myself it makes me an interesting person to talk to because I don’t just sit there saying the generic answers that some people sit and spout out like robots.”

He explores feelings of insecurity and frustration in the album, but feels that his Blue fans will have grown up and matured with him: “There are songs on there for everyone including the younger people and the older people that have grown up with me,” Ryan says.

“I think a lot of the fans from Blue have grown up. I’m a dad myself now and I think a lot of the fans from back in the day with Blue have children themselves. I’m sure a lot of people have grown with me.”

The album’s sound is unlike anything we’ve heard from Ryan before, revealing the person behind the pop star: “I’m happy to come back with something that is absolutely alien to [anything] that I’ve ever done with my music and it shows a versatile side to me. I hope that people can get into it because it’s something that they’re not used to,” Ryan says.

In the time he’s had away, Ryan didn’t stray completely from the limelight, starring in popular TV shows “Come Dine With Me” and “Never Mind The Buzzcocks”, which he felt were good for keeping up his profile: “I think I’m as famous for ‘Come Dine With Me’ as I am for Blue!” Ryan says. “Everyone loves a bit of ‘Come Dine With Me’, it’s turned into a cult classic.”

Trying himself as an actor in the April 2010 release “The Heavy”, he found he has a love and a talent for the film industry: “I really loved acting and [“The Heavy”] is not going to be the last time you’ll see me on the big screen,” Ryan says. “I’ve got a film with Kevin Spacey where I play his nephew coming out in September. It’s all go for music and film for me at the moment.”

But the future won’t just see Ryan acting alone: “There’s going be a Blue comeback at some point which will be fun…maybe another Blue album. I’ve got a long time in this industry, I’m not going anywhere.”

Lee Ryan’s new single “Secret Love” is set for release on May 10th, and his album “Confessions” will be released later this year.