After what could be described as a tumultuous split with his former band Three Days Grace, Adam Gontier made his first solo debut since leaving the band at the ‘Rock For Recovery’ benefit show at the Gramercy Theater in New York City on Jan. 17.

When Artisan News asked the singer about his departure from Three Days Grace and how he felt, Gontier had nothing but positive things to say. “I feel great about it; this is a new chapter of my life,” he said in the video interview (watch below). “Three Days Grace for me ran its toll. We were a band for 20 years and things don’t last forever. You have to move on and do what’s right for you and for own well-being. For me it was just the end of the road.”

He didn’t leave it at that though; he took some time to wish the band well without him. “I wish the guys all the best,” Gontier said. “I wish them all the best and no hard feelings but for me it was time to move on and into a new chapter of my life.”

These statements come in contrast to recent remarks by Gontier, in which he criticized the creative direction of Three Days Grace. As we reported recently, Gontier said, “The music really wasn’t coming from the heart. I can say that on the record ‘Transit of Venus,’ there’s maybe one or two songs that actually do come from my heart … Quite a bit of it just adds up to the fakeness of the whole industry and how you’re writing hits for other people.”