Louis Tomlinson talks self-doubt, 1D and being ‘the kid stood in the back’

The singer says he struggled to see his value in the band.

In a rare interview, former One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson has been speaking about the part he played in the boy band. The band formed back in 2010 on The X Factor, however, Louis says his role was limited at the beginning. “You know, I didn’t sing a single solo on The X Factor,” he told The Observer. “A lot of people can take the piss out of that. But when you actually think about how that feels, standing on stage every single week, thinking: ‘What have I really done to contribute here? Sing a lower harmony that you can’t really hear in the mix?’”

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The 25-year-old also spoke about feeling inadequate compared to his bandmates who have all gone on to release solo material since they split in early 2016. “The others have always been… Like Niall, for example. He’s the most lovely guy in the world. He’s fearless. There are times I’ve thought, ‘I’d have a bit of that’. “Zayn could relate to me on the nerves. But he has a fantastic voice and for him it was always about owning that. “Liam always had great stage presence, same as Harry. Harry comes across very cool. Liam’s all about getting the crowd going. “And then there’s me.” Louis also told the magazine that he didn't want the band to split. The dad-of-one said he was at his most confident in the last few months with the band and then came the shock decision to split. “It wasn’t necessarily a nice conversation. I could see where it was going.”