Age and distance put a strain on Demi Lovato’s fledging romance with Trace Cyrus, and the couple has split, Cyrus tells PEOPLE exclusively.

“Demi is one of my good friends and I definitely became very, very close with her in the past few months, and it’s something I really wanted to make work. But unfortunately, we both have very busy schedules – we’re both on tour right now,” says the Metro Station singer, who is also brother to Miley Cyrus. “I’m always on the other side of the world and so is she, so it just seemed like something that can’t work out at this time.”

Despite the split, there are no hard feelings between the two. “We gave it a shot and that’s all you can do,” says Cyrus. “Every time I hung out with that girl or talked on the phone with her, it was amazing. She’s someone I can totally relate to.“But she is a lot younger than me,” Cyrus, 20, adds of Lovato, 16. “When someone is that much younger, you’re looking for different things in relationships. Maybe when she’s older and we’ve both matured, we’ll be looking for the same thing and it can work out.”

Even without Lovato in his life, Cyrus has plenty on his plate, as he kicks off a headlining tour in Texas with his band Metro Station. “Then right after that I jump on tour with my sister Miley,” he says, “and we’re going to be going all across the U.S. for a few months and then headed to Europe and the U.K.”

Source: People Magazine