Louis Tomlinson

Louis William Tomlinson ( LOO-ee TOM-lin-sən; born Louis Troy Austin; 24 December 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Doncaster, England, Tomlinson auditioned for British singing competition The X Factor as a solo artist in 2010, where he and four rejected solo contestants were placed into a group which became the British-Irish band One Direction, one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.

Following the group's hiatus in 2016, Tomlinson released "Just Hold On" with Steve Aoki as his debut solo single in December 2016. It peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and was certified platinum in the UK. In 2017, he released "Back to You" with American singer Bebe Rexha and "Miss You". He appeared on Debrett's 2017 list of the most influential people in the UK. In 2018, he appeared on the fifteenth series of The X Factor as a judge and a mentor of the "Boys" category.

Tomlinson's debut solo studio album, Walls, was released in January 2020, where it debuted at number 4 in the UK and number 9 on the US Billboard 200. Tomlinson's second studio album, Faith in the Future, was released in November 2022, where it debuted at number 1 in the UK and number 5 on the US Billboard 200. Tomlinson commenced his Faith in the Future World Tour in May 2023, which received critical acclaim and earned a nomination for best Live Act from Rolling Stone at their inaugural Rolling Stone UK Awards. His documentary film, All of Those Voices (2022), gained positive reviews from critics. Tomlinson's third album, How Did I Get Here?, also debuted at number 1 in the UK and received generally positive reviews.

Praised for his lyricism, Tomlinson's musical style has been described as indie pop, Britpop, and indie rock, among others. Tomlinson has been involved in philanthropy since 2010, donating millions of pounds towards charities and participating in causes such as Soccer Aid. Tomlinson launched streetwear brand "28" in August 2023, incorporating his native White Rose of York into branding. He is the curator of the Away From Home Festival, an indie music festival.

Early life and family

Tomlinson was born as Louis Troy Austin on 24 December 1991 in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, to then 18-year-old Johannah "Jay" Poulston and Troy Austin, who left when he was an infant. He is estranged from his father, and took on his then-stepfather Mark Tomlinson's surname, legally changing his name to Louis William Tomlinson. He was raised with four younger half-sisters; Charlotte, Félicité (2000–2019), and twins Phoebe and Daisy from Poulston's marriage to Mark. He also has three other half-siblings; a younger paternal half-sister, Georgia, and twins Doris and Ernest (born 2014) from Poulston's marriage to Dan Deakin.

Tomlinson attended The Hayfield School and later Hall Cross School (now Hall Cross Academy), both located in Doncaster. He failed his first year of A levels at the Hayfield School and ended up going to Hall Cross School and starting his A levels again. He had a number of jobs, including positions at a Vue cinema and at Doncaster Rovers football stadium as a waiter in the hospitality suites. At Hall Cross, Tomlinson appeared in several musical productions, which gave him a sense of ambition and determination. Taking the lead role of Danny Zuko in the Hall Cross musical production of Grease motivated him to audition for the British singing competition The X Factor.

Career

Early career

Tomlinson, along with two of his siblings, had extra roles in Fat Friends. He met actor James Corden on the set, who later became his friend. After Fat Friends, he attended an acting school in Barnsley. He had small parts in an ITV drama film If I Had You and as an extra in BBC's Waterloo Road.

Tomlinson was a singer in a school band called "The Rogue" for two years, covering acts such as Oasis, Blink-182 and Green Day. He was kicked out from the band at age 14, due to the guitarist wanting to be the singer. Tomlinson has cited this experience as another motivation for him to audition for The X Factor. He auditioned for The X Factor in 2009, but failed to progress past the producer's audition. He decided to return the following year.

2010–2016: The X Factor and One Direction

In 2010, Tomlinson auditioned for the seventh series of The X Factor in front of main judges Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh and guest judge Nicole Scherzinger. He sang a rendition of "Elvis Ain't Dead" by Scouting for Girls before Cowell requested he sing another song. He then sang "Hey There Delilah" by the Plain White T's and received three yeses from the judges, sending him through to bootcamp. He failed to progress to the "Boys" category at the end of the final bootcamp stage of the competition at Wembley Arena, London, in July 2010. However, after a suggestion from Scherzinger, he was put together with Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Harry Styles to form a five-piece boy band called One Direction, thus qualifying for the "Groups" category at judges' houses, mentored by Cowell.

Cowell chose to put them through to the live shows and later commented that their debut performance singing "Torn" convinced him that the group "were confident, fun, like a gang of friends and kind of fearless as well." The group became Cowell's last act in the competition and quickly gained popularity in the UK. One Direction finished in third place, following which it was confirmed that the band had been signed by Cowell to a reported £2 million Syco Music record contract.

In September 2011, One Direction released their debut single "What Makes You Beautiful". A global and commercial success, it reached number one in the UK. That November, their debut studio album Up All Night was released in the UK and Ireland. Released internationally in 2012, One Direction became the first UK group to have their debut album reach number one in the USA. Following the album's release, they headlined the Up All Night Tour. In September 2012, the band released the song "Live While We're Young", the lead single from their second album. Another single, "Little Things", spawned the band's second number one single in the UK. Two months later, One Direction's second album, Take Me Home, was released. Reaching number one on the Billboard 200, the group became the first boy band in US chart history to record two number-one albums in the same calendar year and first group since 2008 to record two number-one albums in the same year.

On 25 November 2013, One Direction released Midnight Memories, their third studio album, which became the best-selling album worldwide in 2013 with 4 million copies sold globally. "Best Song Ever", the album's lead single, is their highest charting single in the US to date. In April 2014, the band began their third headlining concert tour, and their first all-stadium tour, the Where We Are Tour. Madison Square Garden tickets, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, sold out in ten minutes, and more shows were added due to "overwhelming demand". Performing 69 shows in Europe, North America, and South America, the band averaged 49,848 attendees per show. Grossing over $290 million, the tour was the highest-grossing tour of 2014.

In November 2014, One Direction's fourth album Four was released, making it the last album to feature Malik. Singles included "Steal My Girl" and "Night Changes", both of which achieved platinum status. The album sold 387,000 copies in its first week in the United States, becoming the second-largest debut of the year. One Direction became the only group in the history of the Billboard 200 albums chart to have their first four albums debut at number one. In support of the album, they set off on the On the Road Again Tour, grossing over $200 million. In November 2015, One Direction's fifth album, Made in the A.M., was released. The album reached number one in multiple countries, including the UK, and reached number two on the US Billboard 200.

Often being described as a part of the new "British Invasion" in the United States, the group have been characterised as one of the most successful music acts in history, with their popularity and fan hysteria often compared to Beatlemania. One of the best-selling boy bands in history with over 70 million records sold, the band was worth over $1 billion through various ventures, including merchandise and concert sales. Tomlinson, alongside the rest of One Direction, voiced himself in 2016 Family Guy episode "Run, Chris, Run". The group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016 to pursue individual projects. Tomlinson recalled feeling "mortified" about the band's split, remarking that it felt like "another loss". Tomlinson stated that he did not envision himself as a solo artist at the time, and argued against the split when the band discussed it. In 2022, Tomlinson stated the split allowed him to find "new musical purpose".