Louis Tomlinson Considered A Drastic Career Choice After Moving On From One Direction
One Direction is one of the biggest boy bands of all time. For that reason, it makes perfect sense why when One Direction alum Louis Tomlinson decided to embark on a solo career after the group announced their hiatus in August 2015, he felt there was pressure to maintain that success. "There's a different sort of pressure being a solo artist, and the lows are lower on your own," he explained in a "Life in the Day" column for The Sunday Times (via Insider).
However, he also recognized the benefits to becoming a solo artist. "In One Direction we made decisions collectively, but now it's all on me. That also means the highs are higher. This year I did a concert in Milan in front of 34,000 fans. The adulation was almost overwhelming, but I could take all the credit — not just one-fifth," Tomlinson continued. All things considered, the Doncaster-born star has been killing it outside of 1D. As noted by EUPHORIA, his debut album "Walls" topped the charts in four countries and has racked up over 500 million global streams. In the United States, Tomlinson was the first artist in nine years on his label to enter the Top 10 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. His second album, "Faith In The Future," became his first No. 1 in the U.K. as a solo artist.
All that being said, in November 2022, Tomlinson revealed he has been considering releasing his music in a rather unique way that is sure to turn a few heads.
Louis Tomlinson has been considering hiding his identity
Starting out as a member of One Direction, Louis Tomlinson has since become one of the most recognizable celebrities in the world. With fame comes a lot of opinions and perceptions that aren't necessarily true. For that reason, Tomlinson considered releasing his solo material under a different persona or moniker.
"Around halfway through making 'Walls,' I had a conversation with my manager at the time, because I [was thinking about] a number of things, the sessions I was going into and the natural perception and judgement around coming out of a band like One Direction," he told Music Week magazine (via Music News). He continued, "Something where I could hide who I am, and maybe people like the song first, and then be surprised that it's me. I definitely went through that process in my head." The "Back To You" singer stated he is still considering hiding his identity in the future due to the "judgement [he's] always going to be up against," adding, "it's about chipping away at this idea of me as a solo artist and someone coming out of a band."
On the plus side, Tomlinson has been doing extremely well with his name and face at the forefront of his new material. After finding out that his second album, "Faith In The Future," had reached the top spot in the U.K., he took to Instagram to inform his more than 18 million followers that he "Can't quite believe it!"