After One Direction went on a hiatus in 2016, most members rushed to release their solo music. Although Louis Tomlinson released his first solo single, “Just Hold On,” in December 2016, his debut album, “Walls,” only came out in January 2020. Speaking to Rolling Stone ahead of the LP’s release, Tomlinson explained that his creative process took longer than expected because he put songwriting above everything else and focused on fine-tuning his lyrics to create something he was proud of.
In fact, the pop singer even admitted that although he was grateful to have worked with Steve Aoki and Bebe Rexha early on in his solo career, he didn’t believe their collaborations were the kind of music he wanted to make in the future. Meanwhile, when the singer-songwriter appeared on BBC Radio 2’s “Saturday Breakfast with Dermot” in 2018, he admitted that it took him some time to find his footing as a solo artist, explaining, “I’m also used to what we did in the band and it was six months of writing and then boom, boom, boom,” per J-14. He continued, “So [the album’s] taking a little bit longer than I anticipated, but I’m a proper perfectionist.”
Although “Walls” ultimately got mixed reviews from critics, Tomlinson embarked on a world tour to promote it in 2022. While his sophomore LP “Faith In The Future” received similarly lukewarm critical reviews, fans didn’t have to wait as long for its release because it came out in 2022, and many of them heard the songs from the album live during his 2023 tour.
He has been keeping busy in other ways
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Louis Tomlinson ventured into the world of fashion in 2023 with streetwear brand 28 Clothing. Speaking to Hypebeast in 2023, the entrepreneur stated that the brand’s designs were heavily inspired by his hometown of Doncaster and his ever-lasting love for football. Tomlinson also gushed that 28 Clothing served as a creative outlet for him and hopefully others, explaining, “It’s something that can be a little bit more tailored, a little bit more stylized.”
“I suppose it’s similar to songwriting… seeing how deep your imagination can go when creating clothes.” And a few years before he set out on his exciting business venture, he created the Away From Home music festival in 2021.During his chat with NME in 2022, Tomlinson shared that he had viewed his desire to create a music festival as a lifelong pipe dream. However, when the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic rolled around and paused live music, he knew it was time to make his dream a reality.
The first year of the 1-day festival was a free event because Tomlinson strived to “celebrate live music being back” more than anything else. Additionally, he was glad that his festival helped introduce newer artists he loved to a wider audience. The show’s reach only increased in the following years since it made its way to Spain, Italy, and Mexico in the following years. Whilst doing all this, Tomlinson somehow managed to become a Guinness World Record holder and create a documentary chronicling his solo career called “All of Those Voices.”
Louis Tomlinson’s record label idea didn’t work out as he intended
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In 2015, Louis Tomlinson created his record label, Triple Strings Ltd., as an imprint of Simon Cowell’s label Syco. Then, in a 2017 chat with Vice, he shared that he and Cowell were hard at work creating a girl band consisting of musicians who play instruments. After noting that they had formed their dream band, Tomlinson gushed, “It’s early days with the label stuff, but the girls are my first major project and I’m super invested in them.”
Although reports from the time suggested the girl group was called Did Alice Call? they never seem to have made their debut. In fact, it doesn’t seem like any artist debuted under Triple Strings Ltd. In 2021, Tomlinson seemingly acknowledged what went wrong with the company in an X post, writing, “I always dreamed of having my own label, having an imprint never really worked for me because I still had to have someone else’s blessing to sign people. People I believed in massively but unfortunately didn’t fit the traditional pop role hence never doing the deals.”
The “Two Of Us” singer believed he could better support up-and-coming artists in the industry with an artist management company, so he set out to create one. Although Tomlinson made it clear that the venture was only in its idealization stage at the time, it doesn’t seem like he went through with it after all because there have been no updates in the years since.
Louis Tomlinson became a father in 2016
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In January 2016, Louis Tomlinson and his ex-girlfriend, Brianna Jungwirth, welcomed their son, Freddie Reign Tomlinson, after being in a short-lived relationship the previous year. Speaking to Metro in 2017, the singer-songwriter shared that his son lived with his mother in Los Angeles, and he traveled across the pond regularly to see him as much as possible. Then, in June 2016, TMZ revealed that Louis had filed for joint physical and legal custody of their child.
Insiders informed the tabloid that Jungwirth wasn’t letting him see Freddie as much as he liked, so he also requested the court to award him and his ex-girlfriend equal amounts of time to spend with the boy. In addition to reportedly paying $15,000 in child support monthly, Louis was also covering Jungwirth’s $1 million rent. Thankfully, they ironed out the legal dispute shortly afterward.
Speaking to Fabulous Magazine, Louis talked about how Freddie’s arrival irrevocably changed him for the better, saying, “It was a very maturing time in my life,” per Yahoo! “And, again, I’ve kind of got between two head spaces. I’m the responsible dad and brother some days and other days I’m still the reckless idiot chav I used to be. I’m still trying to work out a happy medium.” Although Louis and Liam Payne had a tumultuous relationship, the “Strip That Down” singer told Access Hollywood in 2020 that he found new common ground with his former bandmate over their sons, so they frequently chatted about fatherhood. After Liam’s passing in 2024, Louis made a sweet promise to his son, Bear Payne, to always look out for him.
He lost his mother and sister
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On December 7, 2016, Louis Tomlinson’s mother, Johannah Deakin, passed away after being diagnosed with leukemia months prior. Speaking to Observer Magazine in 2017, Louis shared that he learned his mother had terminal cancer when he was attending British footballer Jamie Vardy’s wedding to Rebekah Vardy in May 2016. Meanwhile, when the “Back To You” singer spoke to SiriusXM Radio, he shared that although he felt completely defeated afterward, Deakin insisted that he continued to pursue his dreams and live his life as normally as possible.
In fact, he even told the Observer that he was compelled to cancel his December 2016 appearance on “The X Factor” because his mother was nearing the end of her life at the time. However, Deakin wouldn’t have it and told her son: “You’ve got to f*****g do it, it’s as simple as that.” And so, he went out on stage and performed “Just Hold On.” Then, on March 13, 2019, Louis’ 18-year-old sister, Felicite Tomlinson, passed away after an accidental overdose.
In his 2020 interview with The Sun, Louis admitted that the intense public scrutiny and speculation surrounding her death added to his grief. During a 2019 chat with The Guardian, the former One Direction member touched on the tragic losses in his family, saying, “That whole dark side I’ve gone through, it sounds stupid to say, but it gives me strength everywhere else in my life, because that’s the darkest s*** that I’m going to have to deal with.”
His love life has been through several changes
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Shortly before One Direction split up, Louis Tomlinson and his long-time girlfriend Eleanor Calder also went their separate ways. In the aftermath, the “Miss You” singer had brief relationships with Briana Jungwirth and Tamara Bell. Then, he had a nearly year-long romance with “The Originals” star Danielle Campbell. However, confidants informed The Sun that the pair had split up in January 2017.
They insisted that they were on good terms, and Tomlinson was grateful that Cambell had supported him after his mother’s cancer diagnosis. However, only a month later, the pop singer found his way back to Calder. Speaking to BBC in July 2017, the singer-songwriter admitted that his on-again-off-again girlfriend was a muse for several songs on “Walls.” Likewise, when he spoke to The Sun in July of that year, he hinted that his song “Always You” was about Calder, explaining, “It’s kind of about my story of travelling the world and just being a f*****g idiot and going, ‘Of course it was always you.'”
When Tomlinson spoke to The Sun in 2020, he shared that Calder might just be the one, saying, “One day, yeah, I’d imagine [we’ll get married]. If you’re asking me if I’m going to marry her? Yes, I think so! And more kids, I’d say so.” Unfortunately, the pair had reportedly called it quits around early 2023 since Tomlinson was spotted with Danish model Sofie Nyvang in February. However, The Sun reported that their short-lived romance ended in April.
