Several years after a televised search, INXS is once again without a lead singer.

Back in 2005, the remaining members of the Australian band scoured the country to find a new frontman. (Michael Hutchence committed suicide in 1997.) Although they discovered J.D. Fortune through CBS’ Rock Star: INXS, the Canadian singer’s stint with the group was short-lived.

Shortly after completing an international tour, the 35-year-old said he was abruptly dismissed from his job. “I was in an airport in Hong Kong and literally got handshakes of `thank you very much,’” Fortune told Entertainment Tonight Canada. “I found myself really alone because I had travelled with these guys for 23 months. Some of the audiences we played for were upwards of 80,000 people,” he added.

Now J.D., who blames part of his current troubles on drugs, is living out of his own pickup truck. “It got as bad as it needed to be for me to numb out the fact that this was going to come to a screeching halt,” he said of his past cocaine use.

For now, Fortune is currently pinning his hopes on The Death of a Motivational Speaker. The solo album and personal investment is due out later this year.