Louis Tomlinson on the challenges of going solo and why he won't let grief define him

Louis Tomlinson made headlines this week after he spoke openly about facing tragedy and the downside to fame, in an interview with Dragon's Den investor and entrepreneur Steven Bartlett.

The One Direction singer said "nothing prepares you in life for those kind of situations", when talking about losing his sister in 2019, and bandmate Liam Payne five years later. Louis tragically lost his mum to cancer back in 2016 too.

In the interview for The Diary of a CEO which was shared online on 9th October, Louis also spoke about One Direction being "the pinnacle" of his career, saying "what was really strange was being 24-years-old and realising that the only way is down from there." But Louis said he doesn't compare his solo career to his One Direction days — and won't let grief define him.

During the interview, Louis also gushed about finding love with Love Island's Zara McDermott, and how their relationship has inspired some of the music on his new album. He said: "How happy you are, and fulfilled and content, all those things of course play into the new record, definitely. I am a deeply, deeply romantic person."

When asked where he is on his journey to happiness, Louis said: "I feel like I'm on the home straight."

What did Louis say about his friendship with Liam?

Louis told Steven how him and Liam butted heads in the first few years, with Liam often thought of as the sensible one of the band, while Louis called some of his own behaviour "disruptive".

But the pair chatted about how Liam was often misunderstood, with Louis saying Liam "had a bit of puppy dog energy about him," telling Steven "he really wanted to be liked."

Louis then agreed with Steven after he said he understood the pair had become the best of friends after One Direction split.

Louis also talked about how hard it was to write a social media post after Liam's death: "So utterly challenging that, there are too many words and too many memories. I could go on and talk all day about how amazing he was. We all looked up to him."

How did Louis find out about Liam?

Louis said he had just dropped his son to school and was pulling up at home, when he found out Liam had died: "I found out through Niall (Horan). I think he said something like 'lads have you seen the news' and I knew as soon as he said that, kind of knew what it might have meant.

"I had a similar feeling to what I had with Félicité (Louis' sister) — and anyone has this when they're around someone who's struggling — my 150% wasn't nearly enough. And that's my own arrogance, thinking that I could have helped, really, because it was so much deeper than what I could have done for him.

"He was definitely struggling at that time in his life."

Louis and family

Three years after losing his mum to leukaemia in 2016, Louis' sister Félicité died from a drugs overdose. Louis told Steven about the moment the police turned up at his door in the early hours of the morning, to break the news that his sister had passed away. Louis revealed that he was "in denial" and "refused to even compute it".

"I couldn't believe how deeply unlucky we've been as a family," he said.

What did Louis say about going solo after the success of One Direction?

After the monumental success of One Direction, Louis admitted he felt "the only way was down" after their split. He said in the interview: "What was really strange was being 24-years-old and realising that the only way is down, from there. Like there is no alternative reality where I at least keep up, or supersede. No way, there was no chance of that."

He said he'd had a "look behind the curtain" at huge success, revealing it felt a lot harder to achieve that level on his own "Some of those things that maybe I had then, that I don't have now, I'm not overly pressed for," he said. "Like a billboard for the album in LA or New York. Like I don't get those kind of opportunities anymore. Do I lose any sleep over it? No, not really."

Louis revealed he feels he has to work really hard to compete in the industry nowadays, but spoke about his joy at getting to Number 1 on the album chart: "Never in a million years when I started my solo career did I ever think I would be getting a number one record."

Speaking about the difference between a One Direction concert and an early solo tour, Louis said: "I do 'Night Changes' on my tour show, and I can remember this one show in particular, I think it was like a 5,000 capacity room and I think maybe we'd done like 1,200 tickets, which is ok, it's alright. But when you're singing 'Night Changes' at a gig like that, when you can vividly remember singing 'Night Changes' like that at say Wembley Stadium and you're literally singing look how fast the night changes and you're looking out at this sparse room, it's like a brutal kind of poetry.

"I could be the most glass half full guy in the world, and I am, but life is going to constantly challenge me like that. Because that was the pinnacle."

Louis Tomlinson's new album

Louis gave fans an insight into his new solo album in the interview, saying his music is a reflection of feeling "happy", "confident" and "positive".

"Maybe that's what my intention is with this record, to feel good."

Providing listeners with an analogy which explains the way in which his new album is different from his earlier work, he said: "On the last two records, I had a very small palette of paint, the colours I was choosing from. And a lot of them were kind of darker colours. Whereas on this record it feels like the palette is a lot deeper. There's a lot more to say, but there's a lot more colour on there as well."

Louis' third album 'How Did I Get Here' is due out in January 2026.

Now check out Louis Tomlinson's career to date:

Now read:

Louis Tomlinson: Everything you need to know about the 'Walls' singer

Louis Tomlinson's impressive career: From X Factor contestant to judge

One Direction: 100 facts you never knew about the boys ❤️

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