Mike Shinoda's new song 'Place To Start' features the voicemails of condolences he received after Chester Bennington died.
Mike Shinoda's note to fans (c) Instagram
The 40-year-old rapper released three-track solo EP 'Post Traumatic' yesterday (25.01.18), his first recorded music since the passing of the singer, who tragically took his own life in July aged 41, which has helped him cope with grief of losing his best friend and Linkin Park bandmate.
Speaking about the R&B track, he said: "I wanted to put this out as soon as possible because I'm living it.
"And a lot of other people are living it, too."
On the song, Mike howls: "I don't know the end, all I want is a place to start."
The Fort Minor star explained how he's unsure what the future holds without Chester for the 'Numb' hitmakers.
Sharing a handwritten note on Instagram, he wrote: "The past six months have been a rollercoaster.
"Amidst the chaos, I've started to feel an intense gratitude - for your tributes and messages of support, for the career you have allowed me to have, and for the simple opportunity to create. Today, I'm sharing three songs I wrote and produced, with visuals that I filmed, painted, and edited myself. At its core, grief is a personal, intimate experience. As such, this is not Linkin Park, nor is it Fort Minor - it's just me. Art has always been the place I go when I need to sort through the complexity and confusion of the road ahead. I don't know where this path goes, but I'm grateful I get to share it with you. (sic)"
The other two tracks on the EP are 'Over Again' and 'Watching As I Fall'.
Mike previously admitted he "doesn't know what comes next" for the band - completed by Rob Bourdon, Brad Delson, Dave Farrell and Joe Hahn - following the release of the 'One More Night Live' record.
He said: "It's a really nice way to showcase what a special experience each night was. And while I don't know what comes next for us together or individually, this album is certainly a beautiful way of looking back at the body of work we created with Chester.
"Grief is a non-linear process. It doesn't have 'stages' that go in order, it has phases that come and go at random. Some people are having sad days, others are having good days, others are having angry days...add the constant stress and fear of things like the news cycle, and you've got some exceptional chaos on your hands.
"So I've tried to make it a point to share how I'm doing, mostly on Instagram and sometimes Twitter, especially when I feel like I'm making progress.
"Coping with the end of this chapter is obviously devastating, but at the same time, it's also the beginning of the next story."
Tagged in Chester Bennington