Louis Tomlinson is a singer and songwriter who used to be a One Direction member. Even though he was part of the band, recognized as one of the most famous boy bands of all time, he never received that much recognition, and that has consequences until today: nowadays, he is also the ex-member that has the least followers on Instagram. But why is that?
Tomlinson released his first solo album, entitled “Walls”, in 2020, meaning that he started his solo career much later than the other former members, especially considering that the band broke up in 2015. On November 11th of this year (2022), he released his second album, called “Faith in the Future”, and the new songs it contains are really opening doors to Louis: people listening to it are shocked that they are “actually good”.
In this new LP, Louis steps aways from typical pop songs into more experimental genres. Faith in the Future consists of 14 tracks that highlight Tomlinson's artistic and vocal growth, as well as make him stand out as a solo performer. Comparing this album with the last one clearly shows that he is much more confident about his voice, trying higher notes and different tones throughout the songs. The instrumental part was also something that stood out on this new album. The use of a lot of instruments mixing calm and slower moments with other more agitated ones that make you want to jump and dance around are present throughout the album in many parts. The songs are a mix of indie-rock and pop. This album has a lot of personality: it’s possible to see that he is finding the perfect place for him to explore his artistry.
Most important of all, it's impossible not to talk about the lyrics. Louis is an excellent writer and, in terms of lyrics, I don't think there was a big change from the first album to the new one in terms of quality, since both albums contain wonderful lyrics. The biggest difference between them is the level of maturity. The lyrics of the first album are mostly related to him being in love, with a little suffering for an old lover. However, the lyrics of this new album are more about accepting the cycle of life, friendship, moving on after a disappointment, and releasing the past and living in the present, which are clear signs of maturity and growth. “Faith in the Future” is already number 1 in the UK Albums Chart.
Louis Tomlinson has been in the music industry for 12 years already. He was part of One Direction, one of the most famous boy bands the world has ever seen, and now in his solo career, his new album is reaching new people and providing him with opportunities for a lot of growth. But why are people so shocked that he is a good artist?
During the times of One Direction, Louis did not have his talent recognized: the voices of Harry Styles and Zayn Malik were much more recognized, as they were put in the spotlight more often. But what people do not know is that Louis Tomlinson wrote most of the most famous songs that the band had, including Perfect, History, Midnight Memories, Story of my Life, and Night Changes. In total, he was responsible for writing over thirty songs for the band, which contributed to them winning several awards, such as The American Music Award for Favorite Album, the Telehit Award for Most Popular Song, the YouTube Music Award, the People's Choice Award for Favorite Album, the Brit Award for Song of the Year, and many others.
Louis Tomlinson is finally getting some of the recognition he deserves for his music. He is starting to show the world who he is with his new solo songs, being more confident and more than ready to prove his value. If you haven’t heard any of his solo songs I really don’t know what you’re waiting for: his first and second albums are incredible, and I recommend you listen to both. Even if you don’t like indie rock, for example, you should give listen to the second album either way. I’m a person that prefers pop songs and, because of that, thought that I would not like this new LP and that I should keep listening to Walls (the first album) because it has more of that type of music .. I was totally wrong, and I can’t choose which of the two albums I like the most. Faith in the Future makes you feel a lot at the same time – in one track you will want to dance, in the next one you may want to cry, and most of them make you think about your life and how its cycles work. Go listen to it and don’t be surprised if you love it.