Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding says she wanted to launch a solo career for a `long time`.

The 32-year-old star made it big alongside Cheryl Cole, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh in Girls Aloud, and since the band split last year, Harding thinks it's the `right time` for her to forge her own legacy in the music industry.

Contactmusic.com reports that when asked whether it's daunting going solo, she said: `Yeah, of course! But it is something that I have wanted to do for a long time and I think now is the right time (hopefully!).`

Sarah, who is performing a showcase gig at the O2 Academy Islington in north London March 26, will miss the `banter` she shared with her former bandmates and the support they gave one another during performances.

`(I will miss) being part of a team and having them there to back you up on stage and the banter,` she told Bang Showbiz in an interview.