John Oates Says He's Been 'Reuniting with Myself' Since Breaking Up Hall & Oates

Oates and his former bandmate Daryl Hall have been entangled in a legal battle with one another since November 2023

John Oates is looking ahead at his career as a solo artist, now that Hall & Oates is broken up for good.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Oates, 76, opened up about his decision to release a solo album several months after he and his former bandmate Daryl Hall have become entangled in a legal battle, leading Hall, 77, to file a restraining order against Oates.

The rocker, who is set to release a new full-length record titled Reunion on May 17, explained that he's taken the opportunity to reflect on who he is "as an individual" and reconnect with himself.

"I've been reuniting with myself," Oates said.

Related: Daryl Hall Claims He Was 'Ambushed' by John Oates in New Filing amid Legal Dispute

He continued, "I've been trying to rediscover who I am as an individual, both personally and on the professional and creative side."

The "She's Gone" singer told the outlet that he originally thought of the title for his forthcoming album while speaking to his 101-year-old father, who mentioned that he felt as if he would "reunite" with his late wife in the near future.

Oates explained than he then thought of how the word applied to himself, and ended up creating the title track for the project, which dropped on Wednesday, April 3. "I realized there was a deeper and more nuanced meaning to 'reunion,'" he said. "I wrote out the lines, 'The lights at the party burn bright / I'm leaving early tonight / I'm making ready for my reunion.'"

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee also described his new solo effort to Rolling Stone as being "a very mature and introspective and thoughtful record" and said that working on it made him reflect upon his "personal legacy." He shared, "It's not my musical legacy so much, but my legacy as a human. These are the things that are important to me."

Related: Daryl Hall Granted Temporary Restraining Order Against John Oates After Filing Mysterious Lawsuit

In November of last year, Oates found himself embroiled in a legal battle with his longtime collaborator, with whom he most recently reunited on a 2022 tour.

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At the time, Hall filed a lawsuit and was granted a restraining order against Oates in an attempt to stop Oates' alleged plan to sell his share of a joint business venture to a third party.

In court documents obtained by PEOPLE, the "Maneater" singer claimed that the sale would be a violation of a business agreement previously reached by the duo. He called Oates' alleged move "completely clandestine" and in "bad faith," leading him to feel "ambushed," according to the filling.

Related: John Oates Says He's 'Trying to Lead My Best Life' amid Daryl Hall Lawsuit (Exclusive)

Amid the legal battle, Hall admitted that he had "moved on" from the Grammy-nominated band on an episode of the Behind the Velvet Rope podcast.

While he explained that he was "proud" of what he made with his former bandmate, he said, "I don't like to live in the past."

Oates continued, "I make the analogy of what it’s like when you go to a great museum and you’re really excited to go and see all the beautiful paintings or the exhibits or whatever it might be, and then near the end, your feet start to hurt and you say, 'You know what? I can’t wait to get out of here.' That’s kind of how I feel about it."

The "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" singer also spoke to PEOPLE in December 2023, following his stint on The Masked Singer, about focusing on his solo career and his feud with Hall.

"I am just trying to lead my best life," the musician revealed. "I want to do good things. I want to give back; it's important to me. I want to enjoy whatever's left in my creative future."

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