Louis Tomlinson Talks About Being the 'Forgettable' Member of One Direction And New Music

When One Direction announced their infamous and indefinite hiatus in December 2015, the industry was abuzz in anticipation of the new direction each of the band members will choose after. Zayn Malik, who left the band in March 2015, was the first to go solo, venturing into R&B music. Post Zayn's departure, One Direction released their final album, 'Made In The A.M.' before disbanding temporarily.

Since then, band member Niall Horan has released two highly successful singles, 'This Town' and 'Slow Hands', acoustic and funk pop , respectively; Harry Styles has released a critically acclaimed soft-rock eponymous LP, Liam Payne has released a chart-topping R&B influenced single 'Strip That Down' in collaboration with Quavo and Louis Tomlinson has released the enormous dance hit with EDM maestro Steve Aoki, 'Just Hold On.'

In an up, close and personal interview with The Observer for The Guardian, Louis Tomlinson has opened about insecurities that plagued him while his time in the band.

"Niall is the most lovely guy, Zayn has the voice, Harry is very cool, Liam gets the crowd going… And then there’s me."

Tomlinson recalls his days on The X-Factor UK, where he first auditioned as a solo artist but on not making it past through the boot camp, he was put in a band with Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik.

"What have I really done to contribute here? Sing a lower harmony that you can’t really hear in the mix?", Tomlinson reckons wryly as he thinks of what occupied his mind every time he took to stage on the reality show. He says, back then, he was best known as, "The kid wearing espadrilles, [that] stood in’t [in the] back."

Tomlinson reveals, given his shortcomings on the front, he was highly involved in backstage logistics of the band. He was the one assigned to deliver any disagreement to the label. His experience then helped hm establish his own production company and record label, 78 Productions and Triple Strings Ltd.

A few days prior to the release of Tomlinson's debut solo single, 'Just Hold On', in collaboration with Steve Aoki, he had just lost his mother to leukemia. He was set to perform the single on The X-Factor on the release day and he remembers asking his mother, "Mum, how the f*ck do you expect me to do this now?" and his mother, who Louis reveals was not the kind to swear, told him, "You’ve got to fucking do it, it’s as simple as that."

Without any pre-release promotions and its evidently rushed promotions, 'Just Hold On' debuted on #2 on UK iTunes Chart and scored a #2 on the Christmas Charts.

Despite his reservations in terms of what Tomlinson brought to the band, it is important to note that he has co-written an astonishing 38 released songs. He co-wrote 'Story Of My Life' (2013) that charted in the top 15 for 19 weeks and became the band's second-highest selling single in the U.S. after their debut single 'What Makes You Beautiful' (2011).

Louis Tomlinson is also a versatile vocalist, his soft rasp transitioning easily from pop rock to ballads and EDM. Songs like 'No Control' (2014), 'Love You Goodbye' (2015) and 'If I could Fly' (2015) are a testament to Tomlinson's distinctly adaptable vocals.

Tomlinson is now working on his debut album which, in his own words, 'is coming along nicely'. He is set to release his second single, 'Back To You' on July 21st, in collaboration with Digital Farm Animals and Bebe Rexha, best known for her featured vocals on chart-toppers, G-Eazy's 'Me, Myself & I', Martin Garrix's 'In The Name of Love' and David Guetta's 'Hey Mama'.