Niall Horan Admits Louis Tomlinson Was a “Vital” Member of One Direction

The singer praises his bandmate for being the glue that held the band together

By Zana Najjar Jul 20, 2017 6:46 PMTags
iHeartRadio Jingle Ball, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, One DirectionGetty Images for iHeartMedia

Niall Horan has some encouraging words for Louis Tomlinson.

In a recent interview with Nova's 100, Horan responded to remarks Tomlinson made about himself by saying that "we would have lost the plot along the way" without him in the band. Tomlinson admitted to The Observer in an honest interview last month that he never could quite find his place among the four talented guys he shared the stage with every night.

He does, however, compliment the One Direction members one by one. He praises both Liam Payne and Harry Styles for their incredible stage presence and admits that he has always admired Horan's ability to be "the most lovely guy in the world."

He continued that Horan had "no sense of arrogance. And he's fearless." Former bandmate Zayn Malik, who abruptly exited the band in 2015, was also mentioned. They both struggled with confidence but Zayn "has a fantastic voice and for him it was always about owning that." 

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The band was formed in 2010 on Simon Cowell's X Factor, where Tomlinson's insecurities started to take shape. He described the feeling of "standing on stage every single week, thinking: ‘What have I really done to contribute here?"

Horan answered his friend's self-criticism with some encouraging words. "He knows that none of us ever thought that or think that," Niall insisted. "He's an unbelievable guy, a great singer."

Now 7 years and 5 hit albums later, Tomlinson has found his voice. He recently signed a record deal with Epic Records, officially joining the other members of One Direction as a solo artist. On Friday he will release "Back to You," his highly anticipated collaboration with singer Bebe Rexha.

Horan has also recently announced plans for solo work including the Flicker Sessions world tour, which is slated to start on August 29th in his home country of Ireland. The entire tour sold out within minutes of the tickets going on sale.