Pentatonix
Avi Kaplan was a member of Pentatonix for six years before deciding to leave in May. Pictured: Pentatonix attend The 58th GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on Feb. 15, 2016 in Los Angeles. Getty Images/Jason Merritt

Pentatonix ex-member Avi Kaplan decided to leave the group in May to pursue a solo career in music.

Since his departure, the 28-year-old former bassist has already released his own EP, “Sage and Stone” and has dropped his first single with his new solo outfit, Avriel & the Sequoias. While speaking with People, Kaplan shared what it was like leaving the group that helped him rise to fame for the past six years and the worries that his fans won’t accept his new music.

Read: Pentatonix member Avi Kaplan leaves group ahead of tour

“It’s been amazing. Leaving the group and putting out a new EP, I prepared myself for the worst – people either really mad at me for leaving, or really weirded out that I was doing something totally different from what I was doing before. But with the fan base that we have, they really do know who we are as individuals, and I think that’s why they’re such diehard fans. They really know me and where my heart’s at. So when my solo music came out, the most popular opinion was that it really felt like me,” he said.