Louis Tomlinson

Pop vocalist Louis Tomlinson shot to stardom after appearing on the 2010 edition of The X Factor. Tomlinson attended school in his hometown of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, where he, by his own admission, didn't pay that much attention academically; conversely, Tomlinson was always drawn toward anything related to music and acting, leading to him take the role of Danny Zuko in his school production of Grease. His active role in Grease motivated him to apply for The X Factor in 2009, but he failed to make it past the producers' auditions. Undeterred, Tomlinson re-applied the following year, this time making it through the preliminary stages.
Initially, he performed as a solo act, but just as he and four others -- Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik -- were set to be ejected from the solo competition, guest judge Nicole Scherzinger suggested banding them together, allowing them to continue as One Direction in the group competition. Although One Direction came third in the show, they went on to become one of The X Factor's biggest success stories, regularly topping charts worldwide. Outside of the band, Tomlinson gained a reputation for philanthropy, as he constantly campaigned for, and donated to, various charities.

In January 2016, One Direction went on hiatus, allowing the individual members time to pursue their own interests. In December of the same year, Tomlinson released his debut solo single "Just Hold On," in collaboration with Steve Aoki.