Louis Tomlinson has witnessed fame evolve firsthand. Once a member of One Direction, the group that dominated charts, broke records, and sold out stadiums worldwide, he now observes new bands reaching
similar heights. In a recent interview, Tomlinson opened up about seeing BTS take over the global music scene. While he admits he doesn’t closely follow groups that emerged after One Direction, BTS’s rise was impossible to ignore.
Tomlinson shared that there was a time when every time he opened X, he saw news of the South Korean group breaking yet another One Direction record. He joked that it sometimes left him feeling a bit disappointed, but was quick to clarify there was no bitterness. For him, it’s simply part of how the music industry evolves.
Louis Tomlinson On Watching BTS Taking Over Their Record
During the interview with Billboard, Louis Tomlinson was asked about how it feels to see new groups get fame that One Direction once had. The question focused on how the music scene has changed over the years, as different bands are finding fame in their own way.
The singer explained, “It’s not something I paid like loads of attention to, but there was a time where BTS, they just like got to their peak, kind of they’re still there, but when they’re on the way up and I felt like every time I logged into Twitter, they just taken one of our like. Like some record for the fastest selling thing and they’re taking it and I just felt like every week, I just saw a new thing taken away from BTS.”
“When I was reading that about probably about six, seven years ago now, did made me a little bit ashamed. It’s like, oh, we had all these things, but I don’t begrudge them that. It’s not something that I’m listening to all the time, obviously, but I think that’s the nature of the music industry. It keeps moving,” Louis Tomlinson added.
One Direction’s Unique Style
Even though BTS has broken many records, Louis Tomlinson believes One Direction stood out because they did not follow the usual boy band style.
He said, “I still don’t think there’s been anything similar to One Direction. I’m sure people are trying, but I just think what was really interesting about One Direction is that every boy band that had come before us would fit into quite a specific mould. There was a way of doing boy bands back in the day, dressing all in the same outfits, dancing, etc. We kind of broke free from that mold and I think that was an important thing in pop, for us to actually have a personality and not just be yes people. So, yeah, that’s something I’m really proud of.”
Louis Tomlinson is preparing to release his next solo album, How Did I Get Here?, scheduled for January 23. The album follows a difficult period for him and his fellow One Direction members, who have been coping with the loss of Liam Payne, who passed away in October 2024.
