LOUIS TOMLINSON

Louis William Tomlinson ( LOO-ee TOM-lin-sən; born Louis Troy Austin; 24 December 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Doncaster, England, Tomlinson auditioned for British singing competition The X Factor as a solo artist in 2010, where he and four rejected solo contestants were placed into a group which became the British-Irish band One Direction, one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. Following the group's hiatus in 2016, Tomlinson released "Just Hold On" with Steve Aoki as his debut solo single in December 2016. It peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and was certified platinum in the UK. In 2017, he released "Back to You" with American singer Bebe Rexha and "Miss You". He appeared on Debrett's 2017 list of the most influential people in the UK. In 2018, he appeared on the fifteenth series of The X Factor as a judge and a mentor of the "Boys" category. Tomlinson's debut solo studio album, Walls, was released in January 2020, where it debuted at number 4 in the UK and number 9 on the US Billboard 200.