Louis William Tomlinson (born 24 December 1991) is an English singer, songwriter and television personality. He rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction after beginning his career as an actor, appearing as an extra in ITV drama film "If I Had You" and the BBC drama "Waterloo Road". In 2010, he auditioned as a solo contestant on the British music competition series The X Factor. He was eliminated as a solo performer before he was put into a group with four other contestants, forming One Direction. The band has released five albums, embarked on four world tours, and won nearly 200 awards. Following the group's hiatus in 2016, "Just Hold On" was released as Tomlinson's debut single as a solo artist in December 2016, it peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and was certified gold in both the UK and US. In 2017, Tomlinson released "Back To You" with American singer Bebe Rexha and "Miss You".
Tomlinson's early influences and favourite artists include Robbie Williams, The Fray and Ed Sheeran. For his solo music, Tomlinson's first five singles have ranged in genre, beginning with EDM and synthpop before shifting towards a rockier sound. In an interview with BBC Music, Tomlinson said lyrically his debut album is inspired by Arctic Monkeys and Oasis. He has also cited an admiration for and inspiration from Sam Fender, Amy Winehouse, Catfish And The Bottlemen and James.