Louis Tomlinson says One Direction’s split left him “mortified”.
Opening up about the breakup in 2015, the musician said it took time for him to process the event.
“When One Direction split up, I was mortified, I was absolutely gutted,” he recalled to The Times. “I was a bit bitter, I suppose because it just felt like another loss to me. But I’ve a better understanding of things now, and there’s not as much anger. It is what it is.”
The band was comprised of himself, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Liam Payne, and was originally formed on the U.K. competition show “The X Factor” by judge Simon Cowell in 2010.
They were an immediate smash hit, becoming a global sensation overnight.
READ MORE:
Louis Tomlinson Falls And Breaks Arm After NYC Concert, Forced To Cancel Events
In 2015, it came crashing to a halt, however, when the band announced they were going on hiatus. The following year, Tomlinson’s mother Johannah Deakin died from leukemia. Two years later, his 18-year-old sister Félicité died from overdose.
While the 31-year-old wasn’t sure if he was at a point where he could meet his bandmates again, he said he could see a reunion in the future.
“Getting back together at some point is hard to imagine right now,” he continued. “But I’d be surprised if we lived out our lives and didn’t have a moment where we had a reunion, or whatever you want to call it. I’d be up for that.”
He added, “I do miss the boys and I do definitely miss being one of the five, but I like doing my own thing too. It was time.”
After leaving the group, like many of his former coworkers, Tomlinson has embarked on a successful solo career as a musician. He’s released two solo albums, 2020’s Walls and 2022’s Faith in the Future, the latter of which hit no. 1 in the U.K. and no. 5 in the U.S.
Still, he couldn’t help but compare himself to Styles, who recently won two Grammys and a Brit award.
“Well, it’s not a surprise is it?” Tomlinson said. “We were always aware that Harry fit that mold, and it’s been an amazing thing to watch. Envy? At the start maybe, when I was trying to find my feet, but it’s never healthy to cross-reference your own success with others is it?”
Reflecting on his own self-worth and success, he added, “These days I’m learning to elevate myself in those moments when I have to. I didn’t know how to do that before, but now? Now I know I f—king can.”