The Strokes guitarist Nick Valensi turns singer

In the 15 years since The Strokes became a breakout global sensation, guitarist Nick Valensi has found comfort in the shadows, taking the limelight only when he wants.

So he began his latest vocation - as a frontman for his side project CRX, which releases its debut album on Friday - with little idea of what to do.

"I didn't really want to be a singer. I like singing backup vocals. I like writing melodies. But being the frontman of a band seemed kind of a tall order," Valensi says over coffee sitting at a sunlit sidewalk cafe in Los Angeles, the native New Yorker's adopted home.