By Mia Zajac
Louis Tomlinson is an English singer and songwriter native of Doncaster, South Yorkshire. He rose to fame during his stint on the British reality TV show The X Factor and was given the opportunity of a lifetime when he was selected from hundreds of boys to be a member of the record-breaking boyband(or man band as they call it); One Direction.
Due to One Direction going on a permanent hiatus in 2016, Louis began to release his solo music starting with his debut single Just Hold On in 2016.
His sophomore album titled Faith in The Future was released in November of 2022 followed by the release of the dates for his second world tour. His fan base is made up of many new and old One Direction fans as well as fans who discovered him after his time with One Direction. I had the pleasure of attending one of his shows on his first world tour in Washington, DC in February of 2022. The opening band was Sun Room which was so exciting for me as I became a fan of theirs in late 2021. Something that can make or break concerts for me is the fans and the venue. I usually venture to concerts on my own and heavily rely on the hope of making friends in line. DC would not be at the top of my list for cities to see shows in again as the fans and natives tended to be unwelcoming and closed off, but I still managed to meet a great group of girls and stuck with them during the show.
Even with some of the more standoffish fans, being able to share a love of an artist with people you’ve just met never ceases to amaze me. The general “population” of Louies(what the fans call themselves) is made up of a large Queer fan base which allows the fans to connect on an even deeper level other than enjoying his music. Compared to other shows where fans don’t necessarily have one major thing in common, that is not the case at Louis shows. During his song Too Young the crowd was a sea of pride flags.
Louis Tomlinson's DC show on February 10th, 2022
For many different reasons, Louis has become a symbol for young Queer people, a place they can call home and are allowed to truly be themselves. This was one of the biggest reasons why I enjoyed the show and fan base so much, even if it wasn’t the best concert experience. Anyone can identify as anything there and it’s comforting if you don’t have a safe space. Personally, his most recent album Faith In The Future does not top Walls, his debut album, but there has been a two-year difference between the albums, and within those two years, my music taste has changed significantly. Both albums are Indie-Rock, but Walls is more pop whereas Faith In The Future has taken a segway into a punk genre. My stand-out songs from the new album are Face the Music with its punk rock feel and a chorus I can’t get out of my head and Angels Fly which has such a smooth sound to showcase his voice more. It’s exciting being able to see how Louis has grown from his days in One Direction into a new and successful artist.
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