can we talk about LOUIS TOMLINSON the kid who failed his a levels the first time, the kid who was told by his teachers he would never amount to anything, the kid who got fired from every job, the kid who never took anything seriously because he was too afraid to fail, singing so sweetly and earnestly, “I think I’m gonna win this time” and “I won’t give up this time” and “I change my luck”
One Direction are far away, but their global success is still renewed today by Louis Tomlinson as a solo artist. How does he do it? The recipe is simple: resilience, passion, and honesty.
Text by Cristina Marinoni
You can recognize a star from a distance, by the massive staff in his entourage: Louis Tomlinson arrives at the photo studio with nine people, including two security guards. Although One Direction split up a decade ago —after 70 million records sold and nearly 200 awards (including seven Brit Awards) in six explosive years— he's still loved: yesterday, hundreds of fans waited a long time for the beloved "Louis" (we all call our idols by their first names, right?) at an event organized for the album How Did I Get Here? (BMG), released on January 23, and he returned the affection by immersing himself in the crazy crowd. <<I owe everything to my fans, that's why I replaced "I" with "WE" in the tour name>>, he tell us about How Did We Get Here (in Bologna and Milan, April 9 and 10). Today's location, however, remained (incredibly) a secret and the English singer-songwriter, who turned 34 on Christmas Eve, takes advantage of the general quiet to chat peacefully outside. It's lunchtime, and as soon as he enters, pasta is served: it was the only request he had made for this half-day on set. << I'm crazy about amatriciana and carbonara. As a child, I ate glue, not spaghetti. Only when I started traveling did I discover "al dente" cooking, and I cook it that way. I think I'm good at it; my son Freddie (soon to be 10) would say it's average>>, he says, satisfied with his second helping.
In a good mood, he doesn't need a power nap to recover from the carbs: a cigarette, a stroke of the trimmer (the work of his personal grooming artist) and he's immediately posing for the first shot. The sporty-street outfit, like all the ones he wears, meets his tastes: "I spent the whole 1D period dressing cool, now I prefer to be comfortable. The perfect piece? The tracksuit, which I also arrived here in: it's always in my suitcase." His easygoing style has become a true trademark: in 2023, he launched 28 Clothing, a limited-edition clothing and accessories brand that often sells out in large quantities. The number 28, tattooed on his left ring and middle fingers, was the shirt number he wore for the Doncaster Rovers second team, "right back, not big enough for the position. I always support my hometown team"; he wears the same number when he participates in Soccer Aid, an event in support of UNICEF created by Robbie Williams in 2006. His athletic past is far behind him, he assures us: he admits he's not in great shape because he's minimized physical activity, yet he's very lean, and the good company is what refreshes him even more that the gym. Instead of jewelry, which he doesn't like, he wears about forty drawings or writings on his skin; the precious items, however, can be counted on the fingers of one hand, and the most significant is another number. Peeking out from his football jersey, during the final change of lights, is the shaded black number 78 on his chest: "It takes me back to the house of my paternal grandparents, to whom I was very attached". He returned to Doncaster for the holidays just ended; he spent them with his maternal grandparents, faithful to tradition. "Woe betide anyone who doesn't join them: I rediscover the genuine countryside atmosphere and slow pace, a panacea for me", explains with a rough Yorkshire accent. Soon that will be a thing of the past; his third album -one hundred percent pop, launched by Lemonade, as lively as this season's atmosphere, but containing melancholic tracks like Lucid and a new sound that raise the bar- is ready to be heard, the tour is a work in progress. The only certainty is a top-notch band: bass, drums, keyboards and two guitars. “I couldn't stand being on stage without my musician friends. The best part of One Direction was the camaraderie; the special bond that united us intensified when we toured the world in concert”.
He describes himself as "resilient, passionate, and honest", so we ask him about the downside of being in a boy band that's worth a billion dollars, "You become so important that you lose your independence. In the sense that there was always someone who was completely dedicated to us and assisting us; I'm not ashamed to confess that I only recently started doing practical, everyday things. At 18, being in the spotlight without a moment's respite leaves its mark on you. You enter a mechanism where you constantly feel eyes on you; even around every angle. When I'm not working, if I'm going to pick Freddie up from school, for example, I'd do anything to be invisible: after all, I'm no different from other parents". Tomlinson, with over 50 million followers, is hungry for privacy, not fame, and the working-class North of England where he was born and raised draws him like a magnet. “I do my best to live a normal life, but I don't always succeed. Maybe I should quit music. One day I hope to manage it (to live a normal life), with or without music. Age and experience have changed my perspective on success and what I want”.
"A tragic show. I've got no time for it or anyone on it!" Just spot on and up to date piece of advice for the end of 2025 and next year. Solo Louies just Focus on LT!
This morning 16 September 2025, fans in London found promotional posters for Louis’ Lemonade on Bakers St. and Earls Court, as well as in SoHo, Manchester UK, and Paris. Part of the font on the poster (and in the recipe below) is similar to Louis’ handwriting. Louis had tweeted Lemonade in May 2025.
QR codes are found linked to the website Louis-lemonade.com.
Easter eggs include the phrases, “SO BITTER SO SWEET,” “A LITTLE TASTE IS ALL YOU NEED.” The phrase “Elle muy amarga” (she so bitter in Spanish) was in Louis’ and LTHQ’s updated Twitter header the previous day.
“JUST A LITTLE TASTE” has echoes of Kill My Mind’s “Just a little taste, babe.” “COMING TO LIFE” echoes of “Raise my body back to life.”
“A LUCKY CHARM” echoes Lucky Again.
“SWEETNESS TOUCHED BY BITTERNESS,” evokes “Bitter ends turn sweet in time,” from Louis’ song Chicago (FITF).
“GLASSES RAISED AND NO ONE WANTED TO GO HOME,” echoes “Just one more pint or five,” from Miss You, and “I don’t feel like going home,” from Silver Tongues
The references reveal the transformative nature of art. Life’s trials and chaos have matured to contemplative but also joyful reflection: “SWEETNESS SOFTENED BY A TOUCH OF BITTERNESS.”
The website opens to a few infographics:
The 🍋 prompt has Louis’ trademarked smiley face ◟̽◞̽ (2017):
ABOUT US
A SIP OF BALANCE
LOUIS’ LEMONADE BEGAN WITH A SINGLE GLASS, SWEET YET BITTER, SIMPLE YET ALIVE.
MORE THAN A DRINK, IT FELT LIKE A LUCKY CHARM, A SYMPTOM OF COMING TO LIFE.
SOME CALL IT BALANCE, OTHERS CALL IT JOY. WE CALL IT LEMONADE. OR, IN ANOTHER SPIRIT: PURA VIDA.
THE REDISCOVERY
FOR DECADES THE BOOK WAS FORGOTTEN, UNTIL THE LAST DAY OF SEPTEMBER, WHEN IT RESURFACED AT A FAMILY GATHERING. A PITCHER WAS MIXED, GLASSES RAISED AND NO ONE WANTED TO GO HOME.
THAT DAY BECAME OUR QUIET ANNIVERSARY, THE DAY LOUIS’ LEMONADE RETURNED.
WHY LEMONADE?
THE WORLD IS CROWDED WITH DRINKS THAT CHASE TRENDS. LEMONADE IS TIMELESS.
OURS ADDS DEPTH: SWEETNESS SOFTENED BY A TOUCH OF BITTERNESS.
BECAUSE LIFE ISN’T ONE NOTE. IT’S BOTH.
TODAY
OUR FIRST MODERN BATCHES WERE TESTED LATE AT NIGHT… TOO SHARP, TOO SOFT, THEN FINALLY BALANCED. THE FIRST SIP WAS BRIGHT, ALMOST OTHERWORLDLY. “A TASTE IS ALL I NEED,” SOMEONE SAID, REACHING FOR MORE.
THAT’S WHAT WE BOTTLE: BALANCE, DETAIL, MEMORY.
WHO WE ARE
WE’RE NOT A FACELESS COMPANY. WE’RE STORYTELLERS, KEEPERS OF SCRIBBLES, BELIEVERS IN THE BEAUTY OF SMALL THINGS.
LOUIS’ LEMONADE IS SWEET. IT’S BITTER. IT’S BOTH AT ONCE. IT’S LIFE IN A GLASS.
[The background, while dark, is not completely black. There is scattered white noise. Ice cubes have fallen outside of the glass.]
Lemonade recipe, once email and telephone number are submitted.
Lemonade Recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
5 cups of water
1 cup of hot water
1 cup sugar
4 large lemons or 4 cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice
Optional: swap out cold water for cold, sparkling water for some carbonation 🫧
TO GARNISH:
Lemon slices: A couple per glass, or use the leftover skin to make a pretty squiggle
Mint: A sprig per glass, for a sunny touch 
TO SERVE:
With ice, lots of it
INSTRUCTIONS:
Squeeze or juice, the lemons until you have 4 cups of juice, remove the seeds and pulp if you’d like a smoother texture
Create a syrup in a large bowl or a pitcher by combining the cups of sugar with the hot water, stirring until clear
Combined the syrup and lemon juice
Finally, slowly pouring the cold water. A little taste is all you need to make sure it’s to your liking
If she’s too bitter, add more sugar
If she’s too sweet, dilute with water or add more lemon juice
SERVING:
Chill in the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before serving, or simply pour over ice
Garnish with lemon slices, squiggles, or sprigs of mint
Louis trended on Twitter today:
Still trending after nine hours, bless.
Louis launched a TikTok in his own name today, and it is promoted.
Louis’ Lemonade on the big screen, promo in BOLIVIA.
this massacre could’ve been avoided. the so called leaders of democracy & the free world had plenty opportunities over the last 10 days to denounce countless crimes against humanity & demand israel stop their endless assault on gaza. instead they supported it, defended it, funded it, ignored it, emboldened them, danced around it all, then began to use the weakest language to condemn. now in a single attack 1000+ palestinians were senselessly murdered in a hospital. all of this could’ve been avoided but it wasn’t. every single state, politician, journalist & average citizen who defended, remained neutral to or ignored israel’s crimes are complicit. the blood of these innocent people will never be washed from their hands
I found an absolutely massive 70-page list of all the people in Hollywood who've supported Israel (they signed the “Israel Must Defend Itself” pro-genocide IDF letter, showed support only for Israel, spread IDF propaganda, used “Palestinians are terrorists” language, etc) — but it included tons of people I've never heard of and, like, talent agents and lawyers and non-celebrities... so I went through it and got all the recognizable names + made them into a list (below the cut), because it's important to name exactly who's supporting Israel's genocide of Palestinians.
Additionally, I searched for all the celebrities who've supported Palestine (not liking one post while sharing nothing, not saying something vague about both sides, but actually using language like "genocide" and "apartheid" while talking about what Israel is doing to Palestine), and that's below the cut too — because these people are risking their careers speaking about this, and they actually have a spine and morals.
PRO-ISRAEL:
(I tried to include big names + people I know are popular on Tumblr)
Paula Abdul
Jason Alexander
Judd Apatow
Skylar Astin
Ben Barnes
Lance Bass
Victoria Beckham
Mayim Bialik
Hailey Bieber
Justin Bieber
Selma Blair
Rachel Bloom
Tom Brady
Gemma Chan
Choi Siwon (Super Junior)
Ciara
Lana Condor
Jamie Lee Curtis
Ariana DeBose
Zooey Deschanel
Zoey Deutch
Nina Dobrev
Michael Douglas
Fran Drescher
Chris Evans
Oded Fehr
Stephen Fry
Karol G
Josh Gad
Gal Gadot
Neil Gaiman
Danielle Galligan
Aiden R Gallagher
Andy Garcia
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Jack Dylan Grazer
Grant Gustin
Mark Hamill
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Vanessa Hudgins
Sarah Hyland
Lebron James
Lily James
Kris Jenner
Kylie Jenner
Scarlett Johansson
Dwayne Johnson
Mindy Kaling
Kim Kardashian
Joey King
Ashton Kutcher
Mila Kunis
Taylor Lautner
Zachary Levi
Sam Levinson
Eva Longoria
George Lopez
Demi Lovato
Madonna
Howie Mandel
Katie Marovitch (Dropout)
Debra Messing
Alfred Molina
Mandy Moore
Ryan Murphy
Eric Nam
BJ Novak
Con O'Neil
Rita Ora
Chord Overstreet
Gwyneth Paltrow
Danielle Panabaker
Sarah Paulson
Josh Peck
Chris Pine
Jonah Platt
Billy Porter
Natalie Portman
Florence Pugh
John Radnor
Addison Rae
Eli Roth
JK Rowling
Adam Sandler
Ben Savage
Noah Schnapp (Mr. "You either stand with Israel or you stand with terrorism" himself)
Leiv Schreiber
Amy Schumer
David Schwimmer
Jerry Seinfield
Sarah Silverman
Ian Somerhalder
Song Seung-hyun
Regina Spektor
Tara Strong
Harry Styles
Bella Thorne
Phoebe Tonkin
Ashley Tisdale
Usher
Taika Waititi
Paul Wesley
Reese Witherspoon
Elijah Wood
PEOPLE WHO SPOKE OUT IN SUPPORT OF PALESTINE:
This includes people who've spoken out this week, as well as people who've spoken out in the past.
Bella Hadid — "This is not about spewing hate on one or the other. This is about Israeli colonization, ethnic cleansing, military occupation, and apartheid over the Palestinian people that has been going on for YEARS!" + she got blacklisted and lost brand deals for saying this and much more
Gigi Hadid — currently being targeted by Israel's official state social media pages for her support of Palestinian civilians
Dua Lipa — support going back years, frequently mentioning Free Palestine + "The ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people must come to an end. NO MORE!! This is a human rights issue!! WAKE UP PEOPLE!!"
Mia Khalifa — "If you can look at the situation in Palestine and not be on the side of the Palestinians, then you are on the wrong side of apartheid and history will show that in time" + more about Israel's attacks on Gaza + she lost her podcast deal for showing support
Kehlani — shared stories about Israel's attacks on Gaza + attended a pro-Palestine protest + said: "To my peers and people that are in the spaces I’m in, what the f*ck is wrong with y’all? You’re being silent for the sake of money and business… there’s an insane amount of unchecked privilege.” and much more
Jenna Ortega — was targeted by a far-right Israeli site for her repeated support of Palestine, the site attempted to blacklist her, and she continued supporting anyway
Guz Khan — said "What the enforcers of apartheid and their enablers have failed to realise is that the plight of the Palestinians is an issue that resonates with the PEOPLE. You can hide behind weapons of war and have the most powerful resources known to man, the PEOPLE will demand justice" + it's strongly rumored he was fired from Our Fl*g Means Death specifically because of his open support of Palestine
Lauren Jauregui (Fifth Harmony) — said "My heart is with the innocent lives lost to the perpetuation of the vile legacy of imperialism, colonization, apartheid and ignorance. [...] Those who were once the victims of persecution becoming the oppressor and being so cognitively dissonant about the hypocrisy. [...] I deeply condemn the violation of human rights and the violence of the genocidal ethnic cleansing we are witnessing in real time of the Palestinian people." + "Propaganda is a bitch and is the most well oiled tool of the empire." (read her whole post, it's great)
Riz Ahmed — said "If we are on the side of humanity we must urgently speak up to try and avert the loss of innocent life. This means calling for an end to the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza's civilians and vital infrastructure, the denial of food, water, and electricity, and the forced displacement of people from their homes. Thesee are morally indefensible war crimes."
Chance the Rapper — said "Fucking disgusting. This is an American funded genocide. #gazaunderattack #palestinianlivesmatter"
Zayn Malik — said "I stand with the Palestinian people and support their resistance to colonization and protection of their human rights."
Michael B. Jordan — shared the quote: "One cannot advocate for racial equality, LGBT & women's rights, condemn corrupt & abusive regimes and other injustices yet choose to ignore the Palestinian oppression." + more about Israel's attacks on Gaza
Will Poulter — support going back years, including attempting to protest against the UK government for supporting Israel and not condemning the violence in Sheikh Jarrah in 2021, and said: "Will the UK government condemn these appalling attacks, which have resulted in the death of civilians, including children?"
Hozier — when sharing a petition about standing with Palestinians: "The Irish experience is all too aware of the centuries long shadow that can be cast by legacies of settler colonialism, illegal displacement and violence."
Zara Larsson — support going back years + "We must call out a state upholding apartheid and KILLING civilians, funded by American dollars." + much more about Israel's attacks on Gaza
(Tumblr wouldn't let me have a list this big, so I'm breaking it up here in the middle with this:)
Celebrities who signed the open letter calling for a ceasefire: Tilda Swinton, Charles Dance, Steve Coogan, Miriam Margolyes, Liam Cunningham, Khalid Abdalla, and over 2,000 more people.
Their joint statement said: "Gaza is already a society of refugees and the children of refugees. Now, in their hundreds of thousands, bombarded from air, sea and land, Palestinians whose grandparents were forced out of their homes at the barrel of a gun are again being told to flee – or face collective punishment on an unimaginable scale. Dispossessed of rights, described by Israel’s minister of defence as “human animals”, they have become people to whom almost anything can be done. Our governments are not only tolerating war crimes but aiding and abetting them."
Susan Sarandon — said “Being against the occupation of Palestine does not make one anti-Semitic.” + shared multiple posts about Israel's war crimes this week, including Israel's use of white phosphorous in Gaza
Halsey — shared the quote: "Solidarity with Palestinians means little if it only exists when they appear as victims but disappears when they resist. Those who aren't under occupation or refugees from ethnic cleansing have no right to dictate how those who are resist those responsible for their suffering." + more about Israel's attacks on Gaza
John Cusack — attended a pro-Palestine protest + said "We must free Palestine from a brutal occupation - people concerned for their loved ones, in a hell zone, stuck without food, water and power. Deep anguish over people being told to leave and bombed as they left. I heard people share personal accounts of family members who have been jailed, humiliated, harassed, persecuted, targeted and killed for generations."
Nicola Coughlan — shared the quote: "We may be witnessing the total obliteration of Gaza. Political leaders refusing to speak out should feel eternal shame over the horror they are allowing to unfold. Those of us who believe in peace cannot stay silent. We must say to the Palestinian people: you are not alone."
Lucy Dacus (boygenius) — repeated support in the past + openly calling Obama a war criminal + sharing humanitarian fundraisers for Palestinians + said Free Palestine must be the part of all global liberation movements
Aabria Iyengar — shared "You SHOULD be watching the Genocide that's happening, BUT while spreading awareness is good but it's NOT the full picture. Work. Get on the phone with your local reps and pressure them. If you give money to any political parties? Pull it and tell them why." + more about Israel's attacks on Gaza, Israel committing war crimes, etc
Izzy Roland — shared "We cannot and will not say today's actions by Palestinian militants are unprovoked. Every day under Israel's system of apartheid is a provocation. The strangling siege of Gaza is a provocation. Settlers terrorizing entire Palestinian villages, soldiers raiding and demolishing Palestinian homes, murdering Palestinians in the streets, Israeli ministers calling for genocide and expulsion." + more about Israel's attacks on Gaza
Normani — sharing firsthand accounts from Palestinian families in Gaza during Israel's current attack
Emma Watson — shared a quote about showing solidarity with Palestinians from activist Sarah Ahmed, who was harassed by C*nary M*ssion. Watson was then targeted in the media by Israel, and in response, celebrities including Mark Ruffalo, Susan Sarandon, Viggo Mortensen, Peter Capaldi, Steve Coogan, Gael García Bernal, Liam Cunningham, Matt McGorry, Ramy Youssef, and Miriam Margolyes released a joint statement in support of Watson and Palestinians, saying: “We recognize the underlying power imbalance between Israel, the occupying power, and the Palestinians, the people under a system of military occupation and apartheid."
Ziwe Fumudoh — shared resources about calling US Congresspeople about pressuring them to de-escalate, with "SAY NO TO GENOCIDE CALL CONGRESS NOW"
Dylan O'Brien — shared a video of a young Palestinian girl talking about how Israel bombed her whole street, along with "10 years old. Heart wrenching. #FreePalestine"
DJ Snake — shared "Stop the genocide of Palestinians, stop the massacre, end the apartheid" + more about Israel's attack on Gaza
Liam Cunningham — shared videos of himself at the protest in support of Palestine in Dublin + more about Israel's attack on Gaza
And lastly, I wanted to share this one as well — I'm not sure how real this is, but given Israel's foreign propaganda machine, it wouldn't even surprise me a little:
the tiktoker @/thewizardliz (who has 4.8 million followers and is a beauty influencer originally from Chechnya) — made several pro-Palestine posts, but then deleted them all and said: "Guys I didn't want to delete my posts. But I was just called and told that I'm playing with my life by speaking on these things and that I should delete, I shouldn't involve myself in politics, but I stand with what I said."
Please add more if you know of any, but NOT if it's something along the lines of them just liking a post or trying to say both sides are bad. Please also include what they said/shared — now is the time when speaking out is most important.
venezuela, an impoverished and poor country, is doing this at a time when many of the richest countries in the world are cutting off aid to palestinians in the face of a genocidal invasion, by the way
Israel has been committing unspeakable war crimes, crimes against humanity, and illegal collective punishment against Palestinians in Gaza for 15 years. 15 years. Any comment or analysis that doesn’t take this fact into consideration today is hollow, immoral, and dehumanizing.
Image description of a tweet by alice avizandum: Just remembering that in Sderot, the city closest to Gaza and currently being attacked by Hamas, in 2014 Israelis used to bring seats and binoculars and popcorn to watch the air strikes.
Pictures of colonialists watching terrorism as entertainment accompany.
🇵🇸Gaza residents send their messages to the World before Israel would cut off their internet. "We will remain in Gaza. Either we die or we are liberated. We will die standing, we won't kneel in front of our oppressor!"