{"id":396721,"date":"2026-01-29T10:44:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T10:44:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/396721\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T10:44:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T10:44:14","slug":"i-had-to-stare-the-things-that-i-found-intimidating-in-the-face","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/396721\/","title":{"rendered":"I had to stare the things that I found intimidating in the face"},"content":{"rendered":"

Louis Tomlinson<\/a> has spoken to NME about his third solo album \u2018How Did I Get Here?<\/a>\u2019 \u2013 the record he says he \u201calways deserved to make\u201d \u2013 and championing new talent alongside fellow Doncaster star Yungblud<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The first new music from the singer since 2022\u2019s deeply personal sophomore record \u2018Faith In The Future<\/a>\u2019, the record also arrives 10 years since One Direction<\/a> announced their indefinite hiatus \u2013 with each of the members embarking on their own respective solo careers, and bandmate Liam Payne tragically passing away in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While his first two solo albums saw Tomlinson tackle heavier themes with personal lyrics to match, this time around he\u2019s embraced a more colourful, optimistic outlook. This, he told NME, was born after spending time writing in Costa Rica, realising he had more confidence thanks to touring, and becoming less afraid to experiment with his sound.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe experience that I built up on my past tours not only proved to me that I could do it on my own and provide a good night for people, but also it really informed the record in general,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think I would\u2019ve been able to make a record like this without the confidence that I built there. There are now certain things that are seeping in that I disregarded in the past because I wasn\u2019t confident enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI realised that in the writing process that the most confident thing to do now was to stare the things that I found intimidating in the face, and see how I could mould them into something I feel comfortable with,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s like the album is an amalgamation of everything I\u2019ve learned out on my own.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LouisLouis Tomlinson. CREDIT: Press<\/p>\n

Check out our full interview with Tomlinson below, where he also opened up about channelling his hardships into positivity, fully overcoming the \u201cintimidation\u201d of going solo, whether he still enjoys performing One Direction songs live, and his determination to help new talent rise through the ranks.<\/p>\n

NME: Hi Louis. It\u2019s been nearly four years on from your last record, why did now feel like the right time to drop new music?<\/p>\n

Louis Tomlinson: \u201cI wanted to take more time with it this time, because when you have the luxury of taking your time, you\u2019re able to take more risks. You don\u2019t have to be as clinical.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I set out to make this record, I had a vision for the scale [I wanted], but there wasn\u2019t a specific musical steer straightaway. I needed to make mistakes and take risks creatively to find out where the edges of the record were. Because of that, there are songs like \u2018Lucid\u2019 and \u2018Sunflowers\u2019 which I don\u2019t think would have happened otherwise. Where the record has more depth, it comes from those moments.\u201d<\/p>\n

A lot has changed since \u2018Faith In The Future\u2019, and you\u2019ve been through some hardships since then. Has much of that gone into the album?<\/p>\n

\u201cTo a degree. When poignant things happen in your life, it\u2019s really hard to write about anything else, to be honest. So there was an element of needing to write about some things that weighed heavy on my mind. That\u2019s not something I\u2019ve ever resisted as a writer because those honest and truthful moments, as raw as they are, are usually the most relatable.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s interesting you say that, because there is still a huge sense of joy that prevails throughout the songs\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really important to me that my personality shone through in this record. I\u2019ve had some stuff to deal with in the past, and with that comes a real emotional weight. The previous two albums I made were darker in sound, and I wanted to try and change that because I\u2019ve always been an optimist. I\u2019m a glass-half-full kind of guy, almost regardless of what life throws at me. This time, I wanted to marry the depth of honesty with a glass-half-full outlook\u2026 This record as a whole had to feel positive in every single way.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Was that approach almost like a coping mechanism? <\/p>\n

\u201cIt might be, but it\u2019s also something that I\u2019ve always had. I don\u2019t really allow myself to think any other way, because what\u2019s the point? I\u2019m quite logical with that kind of thing. There\u2019s no point in dwelling over things really too much\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been 10 years since One Direction went on hiatus. Looking back at that transition to solo artist, how did it feel to make that leap and how do you feel about how far you\u2019ve come?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was utterly intimidating. I\u2019d built up all this amazing experience in the band, but I didn\u2019t know how relevant it was to me as an individual, so there was an element of working all that out on the job. My first two singles were collaborations and really important moments in my career, but also when I listen back to those songs, I can hear how indecisive I was and how I was still working it out. To be honest, I can feel that across a lot of the first record [2020\u2019s \u2018Walls<\/a>\u2018] as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose things were definitely tough because, while we were still working things out in the band, it\u2019s different when you\u2019re doing it collectively. Plus, a band like One Direction by nature is less serious, so when you go out on your own and your lyrics are autobiographical, there is more of an element of seriousness. It definitely took me a second to acclimatise to everything like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeforehand, I naively thought that the experience would count for more. I\u2019m not undermining it, I just mean it feels like a separate thing. Even things like being on stage, I only had to take up a fifth of the stage when I was in the band, but now having to don full stage, that takes some getting used to. That\u2019s just one of a hundred different things like that. There was a lot of working things out, but that\u2019s where I feel really thankful for my fans. They\u2019ve always looked after me, and there wasn\u2019t too much pressure on me to have it all worked out straight away. It felt like they were with me for the ride. In hindsight, that feels really special.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LouisLouis Tomlinson \u2018How Did I Get Here?\u2019 album artwork. CREDIT: Press<\/p>\n

Speaking of taking up the whole stage now, you have a huge tour coming up. What can we expect from those gigs?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m lucky enough to have a certain base level in terms of the atmosphere and the energy from the crowd. It\u2019s the kind of thing that I can rely on at every single gig, and the more I get from the crowd, the more I can give back. I\u2019m really excited to show off the record [in a live setting]. It feels really special this time [because] my first two tours were similar to each other in terms of aesthetic, but this is gonna have a slightly different feel. It will be a more colourful, slightly more electronic sonically, and I\u2019m interested to see how it plays out. It\u2019s my favourite thing to do, I don\u2019t think I\u2019d do the job if I couldn\u2019t tour.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the past you\u2019ve had One Direction tracks in the setlist. Is that because you genuinely enjoy performing them still, or is it something you do mainly for the fans?<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be honest, both. It works out well for me that fans enjoy it when I do One Direction songs, but truthfully, it\u2019s never really a play [role I do for them]. For example, there\u2019s a One Direction song called \u2018No Control\u2019 which I played at my festival and fans have been asking me to do it for a long time. I was kind of dreading doing it, but the first time I did it in soundcheck, I remembered that singing those songs is really nostalgic. It just takes me straight back to a happy place. So the fact that other people like it as well, it\u2019s a win-win.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something that I\u2019m treating with caution for this next run though. I\u2019ve kept One Direction of songs in the setlist now for a couple of tours, and I might be a little bit more selective about how I use them going forward. Maybe they\u2019re not going to be in every show because the spots for the set are really competitive now I\u2019ve got three albums to choose from. There\u2019ll have to be a sacrifice, and it might be a One Direction song.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose things definitely built me up in the past and, don\u2019t get me wrong, there will definitely be time for those moments, but going back to that original statement: I feel like this is the album that I deserve to make, so the tour that I deserve to go on is one in my own glory. [That means] not having reliance on anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LouisLouis Tomlinson, 2026. CREDIT: Press<\/p>\n

2026 is shaping up to already be great for One Direction fans. We\u2019ve got your new album, Zayn is making a comeback<\/a>, and Harry Styles dropped a new single<\/a>. Have you had a chance to check Harry\u2019s track out?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve only seen one clip of him dancing or getting thrown around or something like that! [Laughs] I haven\u2019t actually heard the song in its entirety yet, but I\u2019m sure it\u2019s great!\u201d<\/p>\n

It seems like both of you are itching to push the boundaries this time around. We\u2019re seeing you with more elements of funk, Harry with new nods to electronica\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah! If you look across the music that we made in One Direction and then the music that everyone has made individually, it\u2019s testament to what we all brought to the band. There were a lot of different music tastes and a lot of different artistry. We were always keen to push the boundaries in the band, so I\u2019m not surprised that\u2019s carried over into our solo work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Have you had a chance to think about bringing back your Away From Home festival<\/a> in 2026?<\/p>\n

\u201cA little bit. I\u2019m more of a short-term thinker, which is ironic in my job, but I\u2019ve thought about it loosely. It\u2019ll be happening this year, I\u2019m pretty confident of that. But it\u2019s something the suits are already well under the way with, and I\u2019m not quite up to speed on yet!\u201d<\/p>\n

The festival is great at creating a platform for emerging artists. Why was it something that you wanted to take into your own hands?<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something really raw and exciting about getting bands on the up when they\u2019re at that development stage and when they\u2019re a bit younger. It\u2019s those artists who are probably willing to take more risks, so there\u2019s something really exciting about that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt also goes back to where I\u2019m from. Now we\u2019ve got Yungblud<\/a>, but before him, there wasn\u2019t really too much musical inspiration [from places like Doncaster] to look towards, and the opportunities were \u2013 and still are \u2013 few and far between. It\u2019s important for me to do my bit. I\u2019ve certainly had a good ride so far, so I think it\u2019s important that I give back like that. When you give acts who aren\u2019t as experienced a bigger stage to play, you see them really come alive. It makes you proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is getting harder for artists to get that platform to grow, and we\u2019re consistently seeing grassroots venues closing down in the UK<\/a>. It\u2019s great to see artists like yourself and Yungblud strive to make a difference by creating your own festivals\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cYungblud is so good at it too. The Donny lad\u2019s doing well! I think it\u2019s really important, and change starts at the top. There are so many great musicians that are absolutely begging for a great opportunity. Take Ed [Sheeran<\/a>] as a good example. How many hundreds of shows did he do before he made it? Small venues play such a vital role in that, and it\u2019s something really close to my heart, definitely. That\u2019s what Away From Home stands for. I want it to attract people who want to see these up and coming acts, as well as someone like me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Have you ever considered joining forces with Yungblud to design a new initiative?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something we\u2019ve been murmuring about in the past. I haven\u2019t spoken to him directly about it yet, but it makes a lot of sense. We\u2019ve only met in passing at an award show a couple of years ago, so I\u2019ve not actually sat down and had a proper chat with him, but I\u2019ve got a lot of respect for him. He\u2019s fucking taking over the world at the moment, isn\u2019t he? He\u2019s doing so well.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

And in terms of a musical collaboration\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d be open to that too, definitely! He\u2019s a great writer, so that would be cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Away From Home is firmly established, album three is out, and now we have tour dates on the way\u2026 is there anything on the bucket list that you\u2019re wanting to do next?<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to be interested in acting when I was younger, but I\u2019m not so interested anymore. I think now it\u2019s mainly about being more involved in that process of development and working with bands on the up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Are there any new artists who are catching your eye at the minute?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I\u2019ve been making this record, I haven\u2019t really been listening enough, I\u2019ve just been focused on what I\u2019m doing. The process has been all consuming, and when I\u2019m busy I find myself falling back towards my comfort songs. For me, I like Sam Fender<\/a>, I love his lyrics and he\u2019s someone I always come back to. Same with that latest Fontaines D.C.<\/a> album [\u2018Romance<\/a>\u2019]. That is absolutely amazing. Then there is also Kings Of Leon<\/a> and Arctic Monkeys<\/a>\u2026 all the stuff that I used to listen to when I was younger. It\u2019s like a comfort when I\u2019m this busy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018How Did I Get Here?\u2019 is out now via BMG. Visit here<\/a> for tickets to Tomlinson\u2019s UK dates, and here<\/a> for tickets to international shows. More information about Away From Home 2026 is expected to be released at a later date.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Louis Tomlinson has spoken to NME about his third solo album \u2018How Did I Get Here?\u2019 \u2013 the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":396722,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[96,128,1581,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-396721","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-music","10":"tag-pop","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom","13":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=396721"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396721\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/396722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=396721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=396721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=396721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}