A former Santa Clarita Valley boy band star is now branching out into a solo career, he said Friday in an interview with KHTS AM-1220.

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Justin Thorne, 25, of Los Angeles, just released his first single as a solo artist called “The Heartbroken.”

Justin “J.J” Thorne is an actor, dancer, producer and musician who had his first musical success with the group Not Like Me, and then opened for Britney Spears with his second group One Call.

The Canyon Country native attended Sierra Vista Junior High and then Alemany High until being home-schooled at the age of 15.

Thorne started out as a child actor, appearing on episodes of “Will & Grace” and “That’s So Raven,” as well as the movie “Dr. Doolittle 3.”

He then moved onto singing as he became a member of two popular boy bands; Not Like Me, which featured actor Kevin McHale (Artie Abrams from “Glee”) who toured with The Pussycat Dolls and One Call who toured with Britney Spears.

“I was in a group called One Call up until about 3 years ago,” Thorne said, describing it as an “awesome” experience.

Both of these boy bands were brought together and managed by Johnny Wright, who also managed Justin Timberlake, Jonas Brothers, NSYNC and Backstreet Boys.

While Thorne enjoyed his boy band days, he wasn’t looking to return to that time in his music career unless it was a band of his own creation and production, he said.

Wright continues to manage Justin as he ventures on his own to start a solo career.

When asked about his inspiration for “The Heartbroken,” Thorne talked about his teen heartbreak. “I spent three days and three nights working on the song,” he said.

With his single now available on his website, which was both written and produced by Thorne, the high-energy song leads the way to his upcoming seven-song EP “Faces.”

Normally, Thorne writes the lyrics to his songs, because “it is part of being an artist. I like creating everything from beginning to end.”

Thorne is “putting the finishing touches on (Faces).” Along with the EP, there will be a few more music videos, he plans to go on the road for live shows, he said.

His fans have a lot to look forward to, as many of exciting things will be happening this year, he said.

To keep up to date on all of the new things Thorne is doing and to hear his single “The Heartbroken,” check out his official website or follow him on twitter and instagram @justinthorneme.

Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.

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