We all know that Louis Tomlinson‘s been through a lot recently. Between the tragic death of his sister and having to relive the emotions of his mother’s passing with the release of his song “Two of Us,” the One Direction singer’s had a lot on his plate.

As much as we wish the 27-year-old never had to experience those tragedies in the first place, they’ve forced him to put his career in perspective and focus on the direction he truly wants his music to take. Turns out, he feels his music thus far has been all about commercial success, when instead, it should’ve been about making music he loves.

“Someone recently said something very interesting about how so many people focus on the ‘end game’ without enjoying the doing,” he wrote on Twitter. “I’ve been thinking a lot more about what success means to me. I feel like I’ve been mistranslating it for the last 3 years.”

That’s right, you guys! The “Back to You” crooner has been measuring his success by how well his music does on the pop charts, without taking into consideration what these songs actually mean to him — if anything.

“Everything I’ve ever known, in my career, is straight down the middle pop,” he continued. “My expectations and aspirations are all shaped around my experiences, as much as I try and stay realistic I couldn’t help but crave a ‘hit’ single. It’s because of this that I’ve spent so long on this album, trying to fit into top 40 radio when in fact I should start with what I love and work from there instead of trying to write to a more specific formulae.”

Honestly, we couldn’t agree more, and we’re confident his fans will stick by his side even if his music doesn’t fit the mold of standard pop. Unfortunately, it took some recent sad events for him to realize that.

He continued, “Over the last few weeks I’ve put a lot of things [into] perspective and in fact what I should be doing is forgetting about perception and to a certain degree worry less about being defined on commercial success. I’m not here to compete with the likes of Drake and Ariana Grande. I’m here to make music I love and make my fans proud to say they’re a fan.”

Truth be told, we’ve never been more proud to be fans of his than we are right now, and now that the “Miss You” singer decided to stop making music for radio and to make it for himself and his fans instead, we know we have some amazing tracks coming.

“Turning a page today,” he added. “Enjoy today and enjoy the ride. Don’t get lost on the way up!”

He’s truly an inspiration to us all.

 

 

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