Most people only know Louis Tomlinson as one of the members of the 2010s boy band One Direction and haven’t kept up with his life since the band’s breakup. Unfortunately, he falls on the lower side of the scale when it comes to the level of fame each of the boys has had since One Direction. Though I never really understood why, other people claim it’s because he didn’t have many solos in their songs, his voice wasn’t anything extraordinary, and he just wasn’t as easy to obsess over, like Harry Styles, for example. When I hear these kinds of comments about Louis, I literally cannot comprehend why people feel this way, because for me, his voice has always been my favorite, and I have always been a Louis fangirl. I feel like he deserves way more recognition than he gets, especially since the release of his third album, How Did I Get Here?, which I think is his best album yet. Since One Direction, Louis has been releasing music consistently, going on tour, and pursuing other endeavors, all of which showcase his amazing singing, performing, songwriting, and witty personality.
Following the indefinite hiatus One Direction took in 2016, Louis faced a major tragedy that, unfortunately, wouldn’t be his last. His mother, Johanna, sadly passed away in December 2016 from acute leukemia. A few days after her passing, Louis released his first solo song with Steve Aoki, an American DJ/producer, titled “Just Hold On,” which he dedicated to his mother. Over the next four years, Louis released a few songs, but never a full album. Many fans believe he waited so long to release an official album because he was hoping that One Direction would reunite. He also lost his sister Felicité to an accidental drug overdose. By this point, all the other members of One Direction had released their first or even second solo album, leaving Louis to have to move on from the hope that One Direction would be getting back together any time soon and start thinking about his own solo career.
In October of 2018, Louis announced that his album Walls would be released in January. The album received mixed reviews but performed well. The sound was a lot more punk, rock, and indie than the more “poppy” One Direction sound that fans were used to hearing Louis’s voice with. Due to COVID19, Louis only performed two shows on his world tour, but he rescheduled the rest to happen in 2022. In November of 2022, Louis released his second solo album, Faith in The Future. This album was even more grunge and rock than his first, showcasing his confidence in this style of music. Many claim this was his big commercial success after One Direction. In 2023, he started the world tour for the album and finished it in 2024. Around this time, Louis also released a documentary focusing on the behind-the-scenes of his tours and personal life, titled All of Those Voices. In October of 2024, Louis’s former bandmate Liam Payne died. Louis, as well as the other One Direction members, all posted about Liam on their socials. Louis talked about how close he and Liam had gotten in the recent years and expressed how they had continually talked about releasing music together again one day.
Just about two months ago, Louis released his third solo album, How Did I Get Here?. This album has done really well so far, and many fans, including myself, believe this could be the album that gets him nominated for a Grammy. The album is more joyous and lighter than his previous albums, but it still has Louis’s signature grunge/rock vibe. Louis’s now third world tour just started two weeks ago and will be continuing throughout the rest of 2026. I will be seeing him in Philly in July, and I am so excited to finally see him in person.
After all of these album releases and tours, Louis has still kept pretty much the same status as one of the less famous One Direction members, even though he has been taking so many opportunities to get a bigger fan base. I think Louis’s songs and his way of singing and songwriting are so unique from any other artist’s music I have heard before. No matter what he is singing about, I can always feel the emotion in his voice, lyrics, or instrumental/production. Since he is not a huge artist on his own yet, his tour tickets are noticeably cheaper than those of artists currently, so I would encourage everyone to check out if he’s performing in a city near you. You won’t regret it.