MUMBAI: On the heels of a breakup, Max Ehrich has channeled the beginning of a romance for his new song.

The Young and the Restless alum, who made headlines this year for his whirlwind romance with Demi Lovato and their subsequent split in September, has shifted from the small screen to the recording studio with the release of "Afraid." The performer announced the new track early Friday, Oct. 16 on social media.

"From the bottom of my hopeful romantic heart," he wrote on Instagram, "infinitely grateful to be releasing the first song off of my music project."

The piano ballad revolves around the oft-repeated word, "Afraid." "I'm afraid to love you, love you/ Afraid to give in my all," Ehrich sings in the chorus. "I'm afraid to love you, love you / Love you with my whole heart."
On one of the verses, he elaborates, "Don't want to disappoint you / No, I don't want to lose you, no, no, no / You make me feel so good inside / I've been broken so many times / I'm just trying to stay alive / I'm afraid, I'm afraid."

While the song has the internet wondering whether Lovato inspired his new work, Ehrich told Billboard, "I recorded this song as I was falling in love. It speaks of all the emotions that I was going through at that time."
After his and Lovato's romance first emerged publicly in March, the actor popped the question in July. But, just two months later, the engagement was no more.

"There were many red flags she was ignoring and trying to turn a blind eye to," one source told E! News. A second source added, "She doesn't trust him and thinks he's sketchy."

Some messiness has since ensued with Ehrich making the claim on social media that he learned the engagement had ended from a tabloid. Meanwhile, a source denied his claim, sharing with E! News that Lovato "did tell him beforehand."

Despite his declarations of love on social media, his behavior has only driven the Grammy nominee further away.

"Demi wants no contact with Max at this point," a source said. "She is completely embarrassed at the way he's been acting and putting their relationship on blast via social media. She wants nothing to do with him." As of just days ago, a source revealed that the star "is having all sorts of issues with Max not leaving her alone."

"He has been trying to get in contact with her family and friends and they have all blocked him," the source explained. "She's in contact with lawyers now on what to do."

While handling her personal life, Lovato quickly channeled it into her music, releasing her own ballad "Still Have Me" just days after the news of their split broke. She more recently released "Commander in Chief" before performing it for the first time at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards.