Louis Tomlinson: I was “forgettable” in One Direction
Former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson doesn't think very highly of himself, apparently.
Tomlinson and bandmates Harry Styles, Liam Payne and Niall Horan put One Direction to rest at the end of 2015, and they've all since released solo singles. Tomlinson's second single, "Back to You," is due out soon, with an album to follow.
But reflecting on his time with the popular boy band, Tomlinson doesn't seem particularly keen to compete with his former colleagues, admitting that during the One Direction days he was seen as "forgettable, to a certain degree."
"Niall, for example, he's the most lovely guy in the world. Happy-go-lucky Irish, no sense of arrogance. And he's fearless. There are times I've thought: 'I'd have a bit of that,'" Tomlinson told the Guardian during a recent interview. "Zayn, back in the day. He could relate to me on a nerves level. In the first year we were both the least confident. But Zayn has a fantastic voice and for him it was always about owning that. Liam always had a good stage presence, same as Harry -- they've both got that ownership. Harry comes across very cool."
"And then there's me."
His issues with confidence started early, when the band was still competing on "The X Factor" in the U.K.
"You know, I didn't sing a single solo on 'The X Factor,'" he said. "A lot of people can take the piss out of that, but when you actually think about how that feels -- standing on stage every single week, thinking, 'What have I really done to contribute here? Sing a lower harmony that you can't really hear in the mix?'"
It took quite a while for Tomlinson to get comfortable, and then it was all over: "In the last year of One Direction I was probably the most confident I ever was," he said. "And then it was, 'OK, hiatus!'"
Speaking of the band's hiatus, Tomlinson revealed that he was definitely not in favor of the idea, arguing that they should stay together. But clearly he was in the minority.
"It wasn't necessarily a nice conversation," he said. "I could see where it was going."
After explaining that he's up for reuniting anytime the other guys are ready, Tomlinson added that going solo wasn't a long-held ambition.
"If you'd asked me a year or 18 months ago, 'Are you going to do anything as a solo artist?' I'd have said absolutely not," he said, adding that he knows he's not as high-profile of a prospect on his own. "I couldn't say to you now that I could definitely get a superstar writer in a session with me. And I understand that. Harry won't struggle with any of that."