What Happened To One Direction's Louis Tomlinson?

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Since splitting up indefinitely in 2016, each of the One Direction members has gone on to do their own thing. And, for the most part, they've had impressive solo careers. However, one member we don't hear about quite as much is Louis Tomlinson — and he hasn't shied away from talking about the reasons why. 

Speaking to The Guardian in 2017, Tomlinson referred to himself as "forgettable." Louis explained that during One Direction's prime, Niall Horan had been the nice guy, while Liam Payne and Harry Styles had unbelievable stage presence, and Zayn Malik's voice was excellent. "And then there's me," he said. It was for that reason, he explained, that he wasn't exactly expecting the best in the business to work with him once the band went on hiatus. "I couldn't say to you now that I could definitely get a superstar writer in a session with me. And I understand that," he mused. Who's chopping the onions?

Unsurprisingly, the pressure of living up to One Direction fans' expectations only added to Tomlinson's doubts about himself. As such, he told Music Week that he'd considered a pretty drastic career choice after moving on from the band – keeping his identity under wraps while releasing new music. "I had this plan in my mind that was, not quite like a Gorillaz kind of vibe, but something where I could hide who I am, and maybe people like the song first, and then be surprised that it's me," he said. Of course, Tomlinson didn't go through with that and has released two solo studio albums under his own name. And, while possibly not as big a solo star as Styles and Malik, his songs have racked up millions of views on YouTube — all under his own name. 

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Another reason we don't hear quite as much about Louis Tomlinson is because, well, he doesn't want us to. As he explained in a 2022 interview with The Telegraph, he enjoys being able to live his life normally, and being reminded of his celebrity status can be incredibly frustrating. "If I go to the pub with me mates and we're having a drink and being social, it doesn't matter if just one person stops and is like, 'Oh it's Louis, can we have a picture?' It takes me outside of that normality. Just one photo can kind of bug me for the next half hour," he said. 

It bears mentioning that wasn't the first time Tomlinson spoke about the impact of fame. In fact, he's hinted on many occasions that his difficulty with fame and success so early on in life is one of the more tragic aspects of his real-life story. In his interview with The Guardian, he revealed that there was a part of him that felt guilty that he'd never had to work a hard job to be able to provide for his family. Admittedly, he added that he knew it sounded unappreciative for the life he has, but it was still something he struggled to shake. 

That said, despite his aversion to fame and the self-doubt he's experienced over the years, Tomlinson is well aware that fame is part and parcel with the career he wants. Speaking to The Telegraph, he spoke of potentially going back into his One Direction era level of fame, "It's a little bit daunting, but that's the life." Even so, we're hoping Tomlinson is able to create the life he wants without sacrificing his privacy entirely.