We remember the day JLS split like it was yesterday – it was a sad, sad day and we cried ourselves to sleep at the end of it.
But we needn’t have worried because the boys weren’t going to desert us for long.
And last week founding member Oritsé Williams unveiled himself as OWS after quietly releasing his first single Waterline as a solo artist last year.
The singer released the video for the track, which is actually not rubbish (always a bonus!), and we caught up with him to find out exactly why he decided to sneak up on us with his new music.
Oritsé - who doesn't even know why he called himself OWS, by the way, but says 'OW' is his initials and 'S' "could stand for secret" - has been in sunny Los Angeles staying in a “tree house that smells of wet dog”, of all places, working on new material for the past year but we’re not the only people he didn’t tell about his new tune – he didn’t bother to tell his friends and family either, not even his mum.
He told heatworld: “Even my mum didn’t know. She said to me, ‘Son, I know you’re doing something. Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it.’ And that was all she said to me.
“It was tough at Christmas because everyone was asking what I was doing and I was telling them that next year I’m going to show them what I’m doing. I’m telling everyone to wait and that I’m taking my time.”
Oritsé is pretty pleased with the reception he’s had since releasing the video last week and is glad to finally be able to put his face to his work.
He said: “It’s a mad feeling. I’ve been crafting and I’ve been working away for over a year and enjoying myself but when you’re able to bring your creativity to the surface and to the people, finally, and to put your face to it, it’s a great feeling.
“However, it’s not the fame that drives me. What I’m driven by is being recognised for doing something that I believe in. The fact that I've had such a positive reaction, I’m still trying to pinch myself. I’ve had to pinch myself about 50 times.”
Well, yah! Of course he has to pinch himself! Oritsé uploaded Waterline to Soundcloud where it was noticed by Kanye West’s people who contacted him and asked if rapper Pusha T could perform on the track.
Soon after, the song was leaked on Jay Z’s blog Life + Times and Oritsé was on the way to generating interest from some people in very high places.
“We heard from GOOD Music, Kanye’s record label, and two days later they said Pusha T wants to be on the record,” an excited Oritsé said. “Pusha T who was on Justin Timberlake’s last single? He wants to jump on my record?
“We went back into the studio, cleared out the mid 8 and within a week he came back with his raps. It was mad weird; I’m still kind of confused.”
And when asked if the rapper knew of his X Factor past, Oritsé laughed: “He didn’t know about any of that. To him I was a new artist. I still don’t know if he knows.”
But worry not - Oritsé hasn’t forgotten about his JLS past, even if there has been talk of potential signings to Kanye’s label.
Oritsé was devastated when the band split in 2013 and was seen crying his eyes out all over our television screens.
He said: “Of course I was heartbroken for the fans. When you’re the founding member of something, when you create something and it touches so many people, it’s hard to deal with.
“It’s different when you’re part of it or just a member of a group but when you actually create something and it does what it did, it’s a personal thing for you.
“You were there when no one else was there, when you had the idea, when you were putting it all together. For me, I remember the time when I was doing it myself, before the boys came, before anyone came in and trying to put it together.
“So, of course, I’ve got a very deep emotional connection with it.”
Good to have you back, Oritsé!