When people think of One Direction, they usually think of Harry Styles. They might think of Zayn Malik, and then think of Liam Payne. Louis Tomlinson just isn’t the first name that comes to mind. Louis Tomlinson has been the “Oh, yeah. That other one,” since the famed UK-based boy band was at its peak- even more so when he was shifting towards a solo career–and he’s been aware of it.“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 [Styles] won’t struggle with any of that,”Tomlinson told The Guardian in 2017, about a year following the group’s permanent hiatus. But despite his being perceived as a supporting member to his bandmates like Styles (who is now headlining Coachella,) Tomlinson was a vital member of the group.Firstly, Tomlinson was the member who dealt with the suits.“If there was any bad news that needed giving to the label, I’d always be designated to have the argument,” Tomlinson said. Secondly, like many pop outfits, One Direction worked with dozens of songwriters beyond the five members. Yet on this long list of writing credits, Tomlinson was the member of the group who contributed most consistently to their albums. On Midnight Memories (2012), Four (2014), and Made in the A.M. (2015), Tomlinson was the most frequent songwriter of the group, and now he’s now put that talent to use on two solo albums: 2020’s Walls and his latest album Faith in the Future, released on November 11.
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