Finding himself! Louis Tomlinson got his start as a member of One Direction, but the “Two of Us” singer has come a long way since his X Factor days. After parting ways from the boy band in 2015, the England native has kicked off a successful solo career and released two records — Walls and Faith in the Future. However, it was a journey for Louis to find his way in the music world.
“The lows are lower in a solo career, but the highs are higher,” he told U.K.’s The Telegraph in November 2022. “Because you are not one of 4 or 5 anymore, you have to take full responsibility for everything, so it hits you at both ends.”
During the honest interview, the “Back to You” singer reflected on life in the band alongside Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Zayn Malik, and what life was like when their whirlwind fame ultimately came to a screeching halt.
“It was a bit daunting. I’d just got to a stage where I really started to feel like I found my rhythm, I was enjoying songwriting, I felt like I finally worked out where I am in that band,” Louis recalled, about that fateful 2015 day when 1D announced their indefinite hiatus. “And then it’s like: ‘OK, well, now we’re going on a break.’ So there was a bit of petulance from my end, I was frustrated.”
That being said, Louis was able to find his way with his music, especially with his second album, which was released in November 2022.
“I had basically penciled down a plan before corona took over our lives. And now it’s kind of given me a little bit of time to really get into what I want things to sound like,” Louis told The Telegraph in a separate interview, from November 2020. “I was really proud of my first record, but there were moments that I felt were truer to me than others.”
Now that he’s embracing his true self in song, scroll through our gallery to see how far Louis has come over the years — from his One Direction days to now.
Love J-14? Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for fun, exclusive videos with your favorite stars.
