Each member of One Direction has forged his own path in the solo artist realm. From sold out tours, full-length albums, number one singles, to even movie roles, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and yes, even former band member Zayn Malik have become superstars. They've each come a very long way since they auditioned for X Factor all those many years ago. Now while each guy has had his fair share of solo success, I personally feel like there's one lad who doesn't get the recognition he deserves: yes I'm talking about our beloved Tommo here.

Now bear with me. Louis' first solo song, a jam with Steve Aoki, "Just Hold On" debuted a year ago and since then it really has left a mark, which Steve pointed out on Twitter and Louis was nothing but happy about.

Since then, we've heard three more songs from Louis: "Back to You," a duet with Bebe Rexhe, "Just Like You" and "Miss You." Each song is radically different theme-wise, which perfectly reflects how Louis has said his upcoming album tells a story and they're each from different parts in the narrative he's created. "Back to You" is more of a sassy song and as Louis explained, isn't really super personal, more of just a general, different type of love song.

"I didn't necessarily write this from personal experience. There are a few references in there, but it's kind of the most extreme situation of that kind of relationship. It's just about there are always those people in your life that no matter what happens really, you just kind of finding yourself coming back to that one person," he explained in an interview. From there though, we've heard "Just Like You" and "Miss You" which clearly are much more personal. "Just Like You" is about Louis saying he really is well, just like the rest of us, a normal guy who goes through the same good and bad life experiences as anyone else. "Miss You" is all about missing someone and how the realization comes when he's out and about having a good time and notices the emptiness he's feeling is because the one person he wants to be with isn't there beside him; he's basically pretending to be all fine and dandy when he's anything but. And even "Just Hold On" he performed for the first time just days after he lost his beloved mom, Johannah Deakin, forever giving that song such an emotional component to it.

Along with dealing with the loss of his mom, Louis became a father himself and reunited with his former love, Eleanor Calder. Louis has truly lived a life and he's out here giving us such real songs. The lyrics are simple, yet undeniably relatable and the songs are all ones you won't get tired of because sonically, they're just so good. While Louis might not be playing on every radio station like say Niall's "Slow Hands" or hanging out on late night talk shows all the time like Harry, that doesn't mean he's not creating bangers over here. Seriously, these songs are just as good as the material his 1D brothers have given us. Louis was always a major songwriting force in One Direction, so you know he is a really talented songwriter and the lyrics he's given us so far in his solo songs lives up to the next-level work he's given us before. Why Louis' songs aren't flying up the music charts is beyond me, and he even said he often felt like the forgettable member of the band, which is not true in the slightest.

"The others have always been… Like Niall, for example. He’s the most lovely guy in the world. Happy-go-lucky Irish, no sense of arrogance. And he’s fearless. There are times I’ve thought: ‘I’d have a bit of that.’ Zayn, back in the day. He could relate to me on a nerves level. In the first year we were both the least confident. But Zayn has a fantastic voice and for him it was always about owning that. Liam always had a good stage presence, same as Harry, they’ve both got that ownership. Harry comes across very cool. Liam’s all about getting the crowd going, doing a bit of dancing…And then there’s me," Louis said. "I couldn’t say to you now that I could definitely get a superstar writer in a session with me. And I understand that."

OK, this is rather heartbreaking and it's crazy to think as a member of the biggest band in the world Louis felt like this. He was and always be an integral part of One Direction and their place in music history because what they all achieved together as a band was a true moment. And Louis, your solo music is top-notch, so it's time we all start believing in him and what he can do. I'm ready for this fire album, bro. Drop it, and I'll be listening to every word. It's time the world does too.

louis tomlinson

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