Louis Tomlinson has admitted he now feels uncomfortable singing some of One Direction’s more risqué lyrics, nearly 16 years after he first rose to fame with the band.
The pop star, now 34, was just 18 when he found global stardom alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and the late Liam Payne. While the band became known for family-friendly hits such as 2011’s What Makes You Beautiful, some of their other tracks contained notably suggestive lyrics.
Speaking about how he curates songs from One Direction’s back catalogue for his solo shows, Tomlinson admitted: “The biggest challenge is finding a lyric that feels all right to sing as a 34-year-old guy. And that’s actually not the easiest thing to do, because some of those One Direction lyrics are raunchy, man, proper!”
He pointed to songs like their 2014 single No Control, which includes the line: “Taste on my tongue, I don’t want to wash away the night before”, and 2013’s Alive, featuring: “Don’t know why I want to be with every girl I meet / I can’t control it, yeah I know it’s taking over me.” These lyrics, he said, can feel very different to perform now compared with when he was a teenager.
In the interview, Louis also reflected on the impact of Liam Payne’s tragic death at 31, revealing how it brought the remaining band members closer together. “Naturally, there is a closeness, it definitely feels closer than it was. But I think we’re all so busy, it’s hard to keep that consistency. It also depends person to person,” he said.
He added that despite the distance, bonds remain strong. “Like, Niall — and hopefully he’d say the same about me — we could not exchange a text in a whole year and then go for a beer and literally be chatting nonstop.”
Louis Tomlinson has admitted he 'hated' performing One Direction hit What Makes You Beautiful and can't think of a single time he enjoyed singing it.
The song was the debut single by Louis and his One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik back in 2011, after finding fame on The X Factor.
However 13 years later, Louis has admitted he can't stand the debut track which went to number one and gave them their first glimpse of stardom. He revealed singing the track has always 'felt like a challenge'.
In recent podcast appearances, Tomlinson has been candid about the emotional struggles he has faced, particularly following the death of his former bandmate Liam Payne’s close friend — a period he described as deeply painful. He admitted that revisiting old hits like What Makes You Beautiful often brought back difficult memories, making performing them emotionally taxing rather than purely celebratory.
Despite his personal struggles with the song, Tomlinson continues to honour the legacy of One Direction, performing for fans around the world while also pursuing his solo career. His reflections offer a rare glimpse into the human side of pop stardom, where chart-topping hits can carry unexpected emotional weight for the artists themselves.
One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson has revealed he learned of the death of Liam Payne through another band member.
The One Direction star turned solo artist died on October 16, 2024, after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The singer was laid to rest at St Mary’s Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, in November 2024 with Louis and the other band members, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan, in attendance.
Louis has now revealed he learned of his pal’s death via Niall Horan, with the musician likening it to learning of the death of his sister Felicite, who died of a drug overdose in 2019.
He said: ‘I had the same feeling that I had with Felicite, and I think anyone has this when they’re around someone who’s struggling; my 150% wasn’t nearly enough and that’s when it’s my own arrogance thinking that I could have helped.
‘He was definitely struggling at that time in his life.’
@steven "Niall broke the news" 💔 Louis Tomlinson describes the moment he heard devastating news that Liam Payne had passed away. He recalls having a similar feeling to when his sister, Félicité, passed away. #onedirection #louistomlinson #celebrity #liampayne #podcast ♬ original sound - The Diary Of A CEO
Speaking on the The Diary of a CEO podcast, Louis told host Steven Bartlett that Liam had been the one pushing for a One Direction reunion.
Following Liam’s tragic death, Louis is uncertain about any reunion ever.
He said: ‘Never say never… but I’m just not sure it would be right. [It] just completely put a pin in all of that.’
