One Direction star Louis Tomlinson says he suffered from insecurity as he tried to find his place in the band.
In an interview to the Observer, the singer discussed his love and admiration for the band but explained that he felt he was seen as “forgettable, to a certain degree” by some people.
He also said he often measured himself against his bandmates Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik.
Tomlinson, who had experienced success at 18, said he didn’t give himself the credit he deserved for making the X Factor-created band what it was.
He said, “Like Niall, for example. He’s the most lovely guy in the world. Happy-go-lucky Irish, no sense of arrogance. And he’s fearless. There are times I’ve thought: ‘I’d have a bit of that’.”
“Zayn, back in the day. He could relate to me on a nerves level. In the first year, we were both the least confident. But Zayn has a fantastic voice and for him it was always about owning that. Liam always had a good stage presence, same as Harry. They’ve both got that ownership. Harry comes across very cool. Liam’s all about getting the crowd going, doing a bit of dancing ... And then there’s you. And then there’s me.”
Reflecting on his time on the X Factor in 2010, he admitted that he questioned his role in the band after he never had his own solo during the competition.
He said: “A lot of people can take the [expletive] 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?’”
