I think I'm in a different situation. When you do this trending thing, it's because you want to be as big as you can be, and I understand that reasoning, because that's what I hoped to experience with One Direction; but I realised, especially when I started my solo career, I realized that I had already experienced success and it didn't fill me up. I wanted to test myself and see if I could make it on my own, see what it is that I love.
That's a good question, and I'll tell you the truth: I was afraid that video would come out, I was dreading it. I was the last to leave, but I didn't expect to feel the way I felt when I first saw the performance. You know, how I would feel if I walked on that stage today is a far cry from how I felt that day. Now I am very proud, because I have come a long way since then, I hardly recognize that boy now. When I auditioned for X Factor, I didn't expect anything beyond a professional appraisal.
Louis on how many times he has watched his audition to XF to Los40
Entrevistamos al artista antes de su concierto en Fuengirola para hablar de su carrera, su gira y su futuro segundo disco
Many years ago that boy from Doncaster appeared at the talent show that was going to change his life. Already in 2010, the name of Louis Tomlinson resonated in stadiums full of fans who dreamed of seeing him and his four companions; a past that, despite what it may seem, can be heavier in terms of carving out a solo career.
However, he succeeded, and in what way. She began to carve a path through singles, until she reached a debut album -titled Walls- with its own essence that left trends to focus on what she really liked. The result? A complete success that has culminated in a world tour... Which on August 27, 2022 stopped in Fuengirola.
The former member of One Direction got more than 15,000 people to congregate at the Marenostrum, in a concert in which the artist and fans shook hands for a unique show in Spain. But hours before, and very quietly, Louis sat down to talk with us to tell us everything about his career, his tour and even the future of his music. And he left nothing to tell us:
LOS40: We are in Malaga, hours away from your first concert in Spain as part of this tour. You yourself have posted on social networks that you are very grateful for the love and support you have received from the stage but... Aren't you tired? Because you've traveled half the world.
Louis Tomlinson: (laughs) The thing is, I've been looking forward to this tour for a long time, and I've been working on it and enjoying it as much as I can. I'll probably feel more of that once I take a break, and then I'll know even more how lucky I am. But so far I'm loving it, man.
Louis with fans at his concert in Fuengirola. / BMG
LOS40: One of the most striking aspects of this tour is that it has had many stops: from the United States to Australia, passing through Europe. Have you noticed the difference between the different audiences in the world?
LT: Yes, well, I think the crowd at my concerts is electric, there is a certain amount of energy in the venue that you can feel from the stage. There are certain places, especially South America, where it feels a bit more chaotic, in the best sense of the word. You only have to look at sports to see that the best events are held there. So I do think that different parts of the world have different energies, yes.
LOS40: Now let's focus on your career... From the beginning. The X Factor show recently posted your full audition on YouTube, the one where you got three 'Yeses' and it was the first step to something bigger. How many times have you seen that performance?
LT: (Laughs) That's a good question, and I'll tell you the truth: I was afraid that video would come out, I was dreading it. I was the last to leave, but I didn't expect to feel the way I felt when I first saw the performance. You know, how I would feel if I walked on that stage today is a far cry from how I felt that day. Now I am very proud, because I have come a long way since then, I hardly recognize that boy now.
When I auditioned for X Factor, I didn't expect anything beyond a professional appraisal.
LOS40: Do you think that boy who sang on X Factor could imagine a small portion of everything that awaited him to live?
LT: No, I don't think so, where I grew up there were hardly any local inspirations to dream of "if he did it, maybe I did too". When I auditioned for that show, I just wanted to get professional feedback, I didn't expect anything beyond that. So yeah, it's definitely all been a fucking blessing.
LOS40: And from that show we go straight to your debut album, Walls . First of all, why are there no collaborations on it?
LT: Well, there are no collaborations on the new album either, the reason is that when I started my solo career I did it with Steve Aoki and Bebe Rexha , and that felt good at the time; I think since then I've changed my musical direction. For me now it is very important to develop an identity and show who I am as an individual. There will be time for other things in the future, but for now, I want to show who I am as an artist.
LOS40: That's precisely why I was asking. Although your album is completely solo, your first solo steps were indeed collaborations. How did you opt for Steve Aoki and Bebe Rexha in such important steps of your career?
LT: I felt the song with Steve was appropriate for that moment, it was a bit of me doing what I thought everyone would be thinking I should do. It was the easy way. There were a lot of pop-dance songs back then, and it seemed like the easiest way to break into the industry. And with Bebe Rexha it was similar, the same idea. And it's not that I regret doing either of them, in fact I'm very proud of them, and I think I had to go through those experiences to do what I do today, but I do think I chose them for the wrong reasons.
LOS40: After those songs, you published other loose singles, and then you chose to make your debut in album format. What was it that led you to release a complete album, and not continue with the singles?
LT: It was that, during the first two or even three years of my solo career, there was so much work to discover who I was as an artist, and all the songs that I did not include in Walls, it was because I was experimenting as an artist. With the situation of having come out of a band like One Direction, it was a development process that everyone would have seen; while there are new artists they can do those things behind closed doors, something that I couldn't do. I was experimenting, and from then on I started to follow my heart and Walls was born .
LOS40: Listening to your music I have realized that you are very loyal to your own style, something that contrasts with current trends. Many artists prefer to experiment with a genre that succeeds despite not being used to it. Why have you made the decision to stay in yours, without this affecting you?
LT: I think I'm in a different situation. When you do this trending thing, it's because you want to be as big as you can be, and I understand that reasoning, because that's what I hoped to experience with One Direction; but I realised, especially when I started my solo career, I realized that I had already experienced success and it didn't fill me up. I wanted to test myself and see if I could make it on my own, see what it is that I love.
LOS40: You released your first album in January 2020, two months before the pandemic paralyzed everything. Did that break affect you emotionally, especially with regard to having to stop in your tracks the promotion and tour that you had planned?
LT: I was pretty disappointed at the time, because I was so excited to get a boost, and get everything going. As I lived the confinement, I understood that each one lived the situation in a personal way, and not everyone lived it like me. My life has had constant pressure and I have always been very busy, and there was less pressure and of course, less things to do. It actually gave me a lot of clarity for the next record, it gave me time to think about everything I had been through and process it in my head.
LOS40: You said that Don't Let It Break Your Heart , which you sang in an unprecedented way in Madrid, had a very positive reception from the public. Does the reaction of the fans affect you when it comes to continuing to evolve as an artist, or do you trust and put your own creative instinct first?
LT: It's a good question, and at least from my point of view, with my own fans, when I really have fun, when I really believe in what I'm doing, that feeling spreads to the public, so I end up with the best of every perspective, and when I do something I believe in, I pick up a lot of energy from the audience.
LOS40: How would you define yourself as a composer?
LT: In the lyrics I am very honest, yes, I think I would define it that way.
LOS40: There is a phrase that you repeat a lot, Faith in the future . It is said that it could be the title of your second album, what can you tell us about it?
(Note: The interview was days before the artist's official announcement about his second album)
LT: It's interesting, because it's the first time I've made an album where I have the title before any of the songs. It's been funny, because it sets the tone for the whole album.
LOS40: You said there will be no collaborations. but, can you tell us something more about this new work?
LT: I would say that there were times in Walls when I was daring with more risky musical decisions following my heart, and I have tried to bring that back for this record. It's something I've heard from start to finish, I could imagine listening to them even if they weren't mine. And that, for an artist, is a very good feeling.
The thing is, I've been looking forward to this tour for a long time, and I've been working on it and enjoying it as much as I can. I'll probably feel more of that once I take a break, and then I'll know even more how lucky I am. But so far I'm loving it, man.
I was pretty disappointed at the time, because I was so excited to get a boost, and get everything going. As I lived the confinement, I understood that each one lived the situation in a personal way, and not everyone lived it like me. My life has had constant pressure and I have always been very busy, and there was less pressure and of course, less things to do. It actually gave me a lot of clarity for the next record, it gave me time to think about everything I had been through and process it in my head.
#project hail mary
#lana del rey
