My unwavering love for Louis Tomlinson has never been a secret. Whether it be the ink on my arm, the clothes I wear, the background on my phone, the music I blast, or the words I say, Louis tends to be brought up quite a lot in my day to day life. He's my central focus most days, the constant theme of my life.
Even though I may be a bit biased when it comes to anything and everything Louis related, what I am about to say doesn't hold any less weight or truth because of this.
Listen up, people. LT1 is coming. Or, to put it in words that the general public will understand, Louis' debut solo album is being released. And it's happening soon. And you better start preparing yourselves for it now because it is going to change the music industry and it is going to change your life.
And how do I know this? Well, I suppose, technically, I don’t. But I’m not basing this off pure instinct alone. Rather, I have the receipts. So strap in with an open mind because here we go.
Section I:
The boyband stereotype is simple: the guys don’t write their own music. It’s engineered for them and modified to fit radio. But this stereotype certainly doesn’t apply to Louis. Louis’ songwriting credits for One Direction songs alone add up to a total of nearly 40. Louis, a boyband member, has written nearly 40 songs for said boyband. And he’s a lyric writer above anything else, too, making it even more worthy of praise and acknowledgement. In a recent interview with his fellow bandmate, Liam Payne confirmed what we all originally thought: he’s written the music and Louis’ written the lyrics.
So let’s take a look at a couple of these lyrical masterpieces, shall we?
“Strong”: “My hands, your hands, tied up like two ships / Drifting, weightless, waves trying to break it.”
“Right Now”: “Late night spaces with all our friends, you and me, yeah / Love these faces / Just like how it used to be.”
“Ready To Run”: “Escape from the city and follow the sun / ‘Cause I wanna be yours / Don’t you wanna be mine / I don’t want to get lost in the dark of the night.”
“Fool’s Gold”: “I’m the first to admit that I’m reckless / I get lost in your beauty and I can’t see two feet in front of me.”
“No Control”: “In the heat where you lay, I could stay right here and burn in it all day.”
“Fireproof”: “I think I’m gonna win this time / Riding on the wind and I won’t give up / I think I’m gonna win this time / I roll and I roll ‘til I change my luck.”
“Home”: “I was stumbling looking in the dark with an empty heart / But you say you feel the same / Could we ever be enough / Baby, we could be enough.”
“What A Feeling”: “When the air ran out and we both started running wild / The sky fell down / But you got stars, they’re in your eyes / And I got something missing tonight.”
“Love You Goodbye”: “I know there’s nothing I can do to change it / But is it something that can be negotiated / My heart’s already breaking, baby, go on and twist the knife.”
“A.M”: “You and me were raised in the same part of town / Got these scars on the same ground.”
Are you reading these lyrics? Are you understanding just how incredible they are? How raw and real and truthful they are? DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT WE’RE ABOUT TO GET AN ENTIRE ALBUM FILLED WITH LYRICS LIKE THESE?
If you do understand, congratulations. You are allowed to move on to the next section. If not, please read through them again and try to absorb them properly. Thank you.
Section II:
Next up, we have the most mind-blowing thing about Louis Tomlinson: his voice.
It’s unassuming. It’s quiet. It’s raw. It’s breathy. It’s raspy. It’s heart-wrenching. It’s gorgeous. And, my God, is it powerful.
Louis proves that you don’t have to hit high notes or hold notes for a long time to affect someone with your voice. Because Louis is able to use his voice in such a way that doesn’t warrant that. It’s the way he chooses to draw out his notes and breathe out the words and inflict just the right amount of rasp that makes what he can do with his voice so powerful.
Now, don’t be mistaken; Louis can sure hit those high notes. Just listen to “End of the Day” or “Love You Goodbye” for proof of that. But he doesn’t need to to make an impact. And this is true power.
Louis knows how to tell stories with his voice. Whatever he’s singing, he makes you feel it and believe it and experience it. For example, let’s take a look at my personal favorite Louis solo. It’s the second verse of “Walking In The Wind”, a song from the latest album “Made In The A.M.” The solo itself, if anybody else sang it, wouldn’t be anything special. It’s a simple note progression and there aren’t any big moments within the two lines. But it’s the way Louis sings it, the rawness, the pain and truth of the lyrics, and the breathiness and raspiness of Louis’ voice that does me in every time I hear it. He keeps his tone quiet in order for you to have to listen to both the lyrics and the way he chooses to approach the lines. I’m doing a terrible job at explaining it and I apologize. Just go listen to it. Trust me.
There’s something to be said about someone who knows how to use their voice in an unassuming yet stylistic way. And Louis knows how to do that. Through the years, he’s gained more confidence in his voice and has actually been granted more solos from album to album. He’s come a long way since X Factor where he had no solos. Trust me, as a Louie (which is a term for anybody that loves Louis a lot, a lot, a lot), this was a rough time. Even he said that, back then, it was hard for him to understand and grasp his worth in the band. But, as each album has progressed, Louis has found his voice both literally and figuratively. He’s found his songwriter voice and his beautifully raw singing voice. And the band is certainly better because of it.
Section III:
We have already been granted a tiny taste of what is to come on this highly anticipated album as Louis blessed us with his first solo song "Just Hold On".
This collaboration with Steve Aoki wasn't set to be released as quickly as it was but the unfortunate circumstances called for it. In December 2016, Louis' beloved mother Johannah passed away after a long-fought battle with leukemia. It's been six months since she passed and it's still something I cannot seem to wrap my mind around. And that's coming from a fan. I cannot even imagine Louis' pain and heartbreak through all of this. He granted us a look behind the scenes, however, when he dropped this masterpiece of a song.
The loss of his mother made for an incredible debut and truly made the song what it ended up being. It's a song he was proud of, a song he needed to put out after his devastating loss. And he did it all for her.
It's a song about empowerment, about change, about acceptance, about moving forward through the hardships, about facing life head on. The song made an impact in both the charts and in our hearts. So if this song is any indication of what the rest of his album is going to be like, we better strap in. Or, rather, we better just hold on. See what I did there? Huh? Alright, sorry. Moving on.
Section IV:
Greetings, fellow Louies. We ‘bout to make some waves.
When this album finally drops, watch out. Because I know for a fact we aren’t going to let anybody sleep on this sure to be masterpiece. I’m just as excited about the album itself as I am for the resulting reactions and promo and exposure. All of the Louies out there are going to parade around with this album, blaring it for everyone to hear, telling everyone to buy it, requesting it at every radio station, and just being the all-around best promo team anyone has ever seen. Louies don’t do anything halfway and we’re about to make this album the biggest debut for any of the One Direction boys.
These songs are going to be beautifully written and gorgeously sung and we’re going to make sure everybody experiences it. Because everybody deserves to hear it and live it and breathe it and take it in for what it is. And it’s guaranteed to be a masterpiece.
So keep your eyes peeled for more Louis articles from yours truly, especially once this album drops, and keep your ears open when listening to the radio. Because, soon, he’s going to be all over the airwaves. Just you wait.
