Nick Lachey: Flying Solo

Lachey cozies up to supermodel Petra Nemcova at a Kentucky Derby charity gala in Louisville on May 5. Despite being linked to a slew of ladies, including Vanessa Minnillo and Kristin Cavallari, Lachey is “not looking for a serious relationship,” says a friend. “His girlfriend right now is his album.”

The singer performs a song from What’s Left of Me on MTV’s TRL on Tuesday. “A lot of emotions and feelings go into an experience like I just went through,” he told veejay La La of his split from Jessica Simpson. “For me, it was very therapeutic to get them on paper and in music.” Lachey also revealed that a reunion with his 98 Degrees bandmates is in the future.

Though Lachey – at a May 2 party in Las Vegas to celebrate pal Matt Leinart being drafted by the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals – has joked that he’s a “reality star who sings on the side,” he has a range of upcoming projects: the sitcom pilot She Said/He Said for the new CW network; Yfly.com, a teens-only social network Web site; and a role in the vampire movie Rise.

“I read somewhere somebody was saying, ‘Oh, he’s capitalizing on his failed marriage to sell records,’ ” Lachey (performing in New York City on May 6) told Rolling Stone. “That really pisses me off. Like I wouldn’t rather be singing about how great love is?”

Lachey greets some female admirers while shooting an Axe body spray commercial in Los Angeles on May 3. “Women throw themselves at him,” says a source who has worked with him. “It’s unbelievable to watch.”

The singer (with Wilmer Valderrama at Las Vegas nightclub Pure on May 2) has started a new chapter in his life: Lachey recently bought a yellow Labrador puppy, Harlan, and a house in Bel Air (worth almost $6 million). “For me, moving out of (the old) house where so many things took place was a necessary step,” he told a Cleveland radio station.

Though Lachey (at New York City radio station Z-100 on May 6) is “in a really good place,” says a pal, he hasn’t entirely closed the door on his relationship with Jessica. “There’s real love there,” the singer told Access Hollywood. “There always will be. I can’t say what the future holds.”