#he’s also honest and aware that not all members will achieve success as a solo act and he’s one of those members

[shoheiakagi]

Okay, second question for the Band AU! I don't know if idols work the same way as mainstream music, where there's a lot of crossover between singers and television/movies, but how would the guys and your lovely girls deal with being scouted for the big screen? Who would want to give acting a try, who wouldn't? And what would the couples do if they found themselves cast as each other's onscreen lover (Because ofc that adds fuel to the fire for gossip).

I know that there’s a lot of kpop idols who go into acting, but not too sure about jpop idols. And im not 100% sure about this, but I remember reading that theres this stigma amongst actors about idols going into acting; that they hate when idols pursue acting cause the idols booked the role due to their popularity and not cause of any acting talent lol

i’m so sorry cause i ended up going on a different tangent with this ask and focus on dewa/miyako, so i hope you don’t mind!

Out of the girls, Miyako is the only one to pursue acting. Despite not being the most popular member, she is still well known for her beauty, which fits the quintessential Japanese beauty standards: petite frame, pale skin, long dark hair, long eyelashes, and high-bridged nose. It wasn’t that hard for her to land the lead role in a romcom, starring against a male pop idol who also recently joined the acting scene (okay idk why but akiyama came straight to my mind lol). The casting alone for this movie makes a lot of noise, as the main leads look extremely elegant and gives off major royalty vibes, which gains the attention of the general public. A lot of interviews and press tours get more people to fall in love with the chemistry between miyako and akiyama (which takes more effort from miyako’s end since akiyama can be pretty stiff). But unlike her idol career, she has more difficulty fitting in at first due to the stigma some of her costars have against her for being an idol.

Idk why, but i don’t really see any of the guys pursuing acting tbh. At most, i can see chitose landing some role in some adult comedy that doesn’t perform that well, which has him running back to the group and not want anything to do with acting ever again. The other guys probably got second hand embarrassment and don’t want to go through what chitose had to. When they first heard about miyako landing a role in a new movie, they couldn’t help but feel pity cause the poor girl might have to go through the same idol curse that chitose went through. but when they see the massive media coverage and support she’s getting, some of them can’t help but feel envious. here comes this girl group who’s catching up to their fame and popularity despite not being around for that long and definitely not working as hard as them, and now each members are getting their own individual gigs as solo acts?? while miyako may be the only one to pursue acting out of her group, she’s certainly not the only one who’s making a name for herself outside of the group. and the guys can’t help but feel jealous about that. as much as they love their group, at the end of the day, they’re different guys with different interests. it’d be nice to be known more outside of their fanbase, without having to be lumped in with 5 other guys. its funny how the girls, despite having a lot of restrictions put on to them by their company, still have the freedom to pursue things outside of the their group and make a name for themselves. whereas the guys have all the artistic freedom a musician can ask for, but seem to lack an identity of their own.

Dewa is annoyed. Its bad enough that he sees miyako’s face plastered all over japan with the rest of her dimwitted group. Now seeing her face being plastered all over the country with that guy with toothpick from s4? She likes that type of guy? The type with a stick up his ass? (talk about the pot calling the kettle black). But theres something off this time. With how strict her company is, he’s not used to seeing her having full blown conversations with other male celebrities, so imagine his surprise when he catches interviews where she keeps laughing at every little thing akiyama says, resting a manicured hand on his shoulder. or how she would bat her eyelashes at him while asking him a question, and how she would look intrigued as she hangs onto every word that comes out of his mouth. nothing about their interaction seems right to dewa, and in a way he’s relieved that is all an act to promote their new movie (at least thats what he tells himself and chitose when the latter tries to taunt him). But seeing miyako gain more success and fame as an actress, make more friends/connections within the industry, and create an identity for herself outside of her group is bothering dewa a lot more than it should be. in a way, it feels like she’s constantly rising and leaving him behind. and if acting doesn’t work out for her? no problem, she can always fall back onto her idol persona. and if performing is no longer fun? perfect, she can go back and take over her family’s business like she was supposed to. but what about him? if the group decides to split and go their own way, what will happen to dewa masaomi?

[louistomlinsoncouk]

Louis Tomlinson shot to international and unprecedented fame back in 2010, as one firth of One Direction on the X-Factor.

Fast forward ten years and Louis Tomlinson – now 27 years-old has experienced the most incredible professional highs with mind boggling achievements such as winning five Brit awards, embarking on record breaking international tours that outsold even Katy Perry and The Rolling Stones and selling over 50 million records worldwide all as part of one of the planets most successful ever boybands.

But during this time Louis has also experienced many personal lows, all whilst under the microscope of extreme public attention. In late 2016 Louis’ mother died and in March this year Louis also lost his sister. Despite these life changing moments, Louis has used the lows to empower him with him notably writing the powerful, Two of Us and returning to the X-Factor stage the day after his mother’s death to perform his collaboration with Steve Aoki, Just Hold On! Louis’ response to the darkest times of his life are nothing short of inspiring.

In our latest edition of GLAMOUR UNFILTERED, hosted by Josh Smith, Louis Tomlinson talks about how he has leaned into his vulnerability, how hard it was for him to establish his own identity away from One Direction to create his own path as a solo artist and how his relationship with the brotherhood in the band has changed…  

With a new album, new songs and a tour on the way, what does Louis 2.0 represent?

I haven't really thought about it really, but I think musically what I was really happy with on this album is my first single of this, Kill My Mind. I feel like I am a little bit more mature in my songwriting, and I feel like as time goes on, the more songs that I write, I feel like I understand lyrics more and more. I'm just honest I'd say.

What do you think has been the hardest thing for you to be honest about with yourself?

To be honest, I'm lucky with where I grew up. In Doncaster we wear our heart on our sleeves really. So, it comes naturally to me really to just be open about the way that I feel. I think it's important to do that in songwriting. I just see it as honesty.

There is still so much stigma around men being vulnerable – how have you navigated around the stereotype?

I'm aware of it, but it’s not how I operate personally. I've always kind of owned it. I think my mum did a good job of bringing me up and taught me good values. When we wrote Two of Us, that was obviously a very personal song for me, and probably the most vulnerable I've been, especially on a song. But it feels good to be honest and talk about these things and encourage other people to talk about these things.

What's been the most amazing reaction to that honesty for you?

It was with Two of Us, to be honest. It was just, I've had a couple of moments where fans have come up to me and told me what that song means to them and maybe they've just had a loss in their life. I never really had that in the band to that level, my lyrics really meaning something to people. So, that's incredible.

What have you learnt about yourself through being a front man?

I feel like I've learnt to trust my gut more and just own my decisions, because when there's a lot of people around you that, there's always a lot of opinions. So, I feel like I understand myself more as an artist, I understand myself more as a songwriter. I’ve just been trusting my gut more I think as I've got older. To be honest, kind of what you see is what you get with me and I've always been that way. There's not really too much complexity to it - I'm lucky like that. 

You have been through so many extreme private moments in such a public sphere. How have you coped with that?

It was definitely difficult at first, when I first got put in the band and having to deal with not having as much privacy. But I suppose as time goes on you grow to understand it and get used to it. To be honest, there have been some pretty hard times in my life, and although I wouldn't have chosen to have them played out in the public, some of the reactions and some of the stuff I got from fans was incredible too. It’s tit for tat really. It’s been difficult, but that's life anyway, it's just that on a massive scale. I suppose at the start of the band I struggled a little bit with that, but I think I'm pretty resilient and look, I'm lucky that I had the experience at that level. I'm also quite persistent. It was actually the third year that I'd auditioned for X Factor that I got put in the band and you have to have a certain amount of self-belief for that.

What advice would you want to give the you, who went through those private moments now?

I would just say, "Trust yourself and trust your gut, because those things are important, and nobody understands you better than you."

How strange was it for you to go from having that immediate support network of the other four members of One Direction almost gone over night?

It was difficult. There are still people around me that were, like my vocal coach for example, that were around, and she plays a big role in my career. So, there is still enough familiar faces to not kind of feel like alienated and on my own, but it definitely took some getting used to. One Direction was such a well-working machine, so it definitely took some getting used to. But I think, as you spend time on your own you find new people that you really got on with and develop those relationships.

How did you build your identity away from the band?

It took me a second to understand that I was on my own now, and my identity for so long was part of a collective, and obviously you still have an individual identity within that, but you're upholding this collective identity. So, I think it took me a second to kind of understand that I can be a bit of a chav again!

Did you ever feel like were having to put anything on during the band?

You see, I think sometimes people insinuate that it might be the record label and management that make you like this, but it's not. You're respectful of the fan base and their age, and we had a young fan base. Also, they've got mums who can get angry if you piss them off! 

Was there a turning point in discovering who you are as a person?

I think I'm lucky that I can kind of come to those conclusions almost through my music. As I've started trusting myself more musically and my musical instincts, there is an overlap with real life there as well.

What's been the career high and low you have learnt the most from?

The high I've learnt the most from would be collectively the One Direction experience and so much that comes with that. It was an incredible experience and taught me so much along the way. In terms of the lows, it's been quite difficult at times to understand the difference between the experience that I have with the band and the experience that I have now, and how relevant that is to a solo artist. I think that's taken me a second to work out, there's some, like the way I started my career as a solo artist and I released a couple of feature songs, which I think are great songs, but looking back I feel like maybe didn't say too much about me musically and my influences All of these things I've kind of had to learn from to get here really.

Looking back over the last ten years is there anything you would change?

In reality I wouldn't. I wouldn't because I think every mistake is all part of your journey, and you do definitely learn something every time. So, in terms of my career and how I've come across publicly and all of that, no, I wouldn't change anything to be honest.

What advice would you want to give someone who has gone through the same life experiences as you?

Find the people in your life that you know you love and trust and talk it through with people. Because I might come across as confident but obviously you have moments where you build things up in your head. The longer you live with that thought you think it's big, it ends up being bigger than the reality of the situation. So, I think just as much communication as possible especially with your family.

How has your relationship with brotherhood changed in your life?

I suppose my career has helped me see the world and meet a lot of different people, and I think that gives you a certain level of understanding. As I've got older really, my responsibility has changed with my sisters and my little brother. I'm currently trying to have a conversation with my twin sisters to go to the sixth form! I try to be more mature but as a brother you have to be.

How have you leaned into your immediate brotherhood of the band at different times in your life?

I think, honestly, there's obviously times where you have better relationships with other members than you do others, but that connection, that'll be forever. Definitely. Because, we experienced so much in a relatively short space of time and it was crazy what we all saw together and experienced, so I think that is something that we'll have forever, really. Definitely. Sometimes you might not see eye to eye, but that's the way friendships go in real life!

You can listen to Louis's tracks 'Don't Let It Break You Heart' and 'We Made It' now, taken from his debut album 'Walls' out January 31st

[hlupdate]

Louis Tomlinson shot to international and unprecedented fame back in 2010, as one fifth of One Direction on the X-Factor.

Fast forward ten years and Louis Tomlinson – now 27 years-old has experienced the most incredible professional highs with mind boggling achievements such as winning five Brit awards, embarking on record breaking international tours that outsold even Katy Perry and The Rolling Stones and selling over 50 million records worldwide all as part of one of the planets most successful ever boybands.

But during this time Louis has also experienced many personal lows, all whilst under the microscope of extreme public attention. In late 2016 Louis’ mother died and in March this year Louis also lost his sister. Despite these life changing moments, Louis has used the lows to empower him with him notably writing the powerful, Two of Us and returning to the X-Factor stage the day after his mother’s death to perform his collaboration with Steve Aoki, Just Hold On! Louis’ response to the darkest times of his life are nothing short of inspiring.

In our latest edition of GLAMOUR UNFILTERED, hosted by Josh Smith, Louis Tomlinson talks about how he has leaned into his vulnerability, how hard it was for him to establish his own identity away from One Direction to create his own path as a solo artist and how his relationship with the brotherhood in the band has changed…

With a new album, new songs and a tour on the way, what does Louis 2.0 represent?

I haven't really thought about it really, but I think musically what I was really happy with on this album is my first single of this, Kill My Mind. I feel like I am a little bit more mature in my songwriting, and I feel like as time goes on, the more songs that I write, I feel like I understand lyrics more and more. I'm just honest I'd say.

What do you think has been the hardest thing for you to be honest about with yourself?

To be honest, I'm lucky with where I grew up. In Doncaster we wear our heart on our sleeves really. So, it comes naturally to me really to just be open about the way that I feel. I think it's important to do that in songwriting. I just see it as honesty.

There is still so much stigma around men being vulnerable – how have you navigated around the stereotype?

I'm aware of it, but it’s not how I operate personally. I've always kind of owned it. I think my mum did a good job of bringing me up and taught me good values. When we wrote Two of Us, that was obviously a very personal song for me, and probably the most vulnerable I've been, especially on a song. But it feels good to be honest and talk about these things and encourage other people to talk about these things.

What's been the most amazing reaction to that honesty for you?

It was with Two of Us, to be honest. It was just, I've had a couple of moments where fans have come up to me and told me what that song means to them and maybe they've just had a loss in their life. I never really had that in the band to that level, my lyrics really meaning something to people. So, that's incredible.

What have you learnt about yourself through being a front man?

I feel like I've learnt to trust my gut more and just own my decisions, because when there's a lot of people around you that, there's always a lot of opinions. So, I feel like I understand myself more as an artist, I understand myself more as a songwriter. I’ve just been trusting my gut more I think as I've got older. To be honest, kind of what you see is what you get with me and I've always been that way. There's not really too much complexity to it - I'm lucky like that.

You have been through so many extreme private moments in such a public sphere. How have you coped with that?

It was definitely difficult at first, when I first got put in the band and having to deal with not having as much privacy. But I suppose as time goes on you grow to understand it and get used to it. To be honest, there have been some pretty hard times in my life, and although I wouldn't have chosen to have them played out in the public, some of the reactions and some of the stuff I got from fans was incredible too. It’s tit for tat really. It’s been difficult, but that's life anyway, it's just that on a massive scale. I suppose at the start of the band I struggled a little bit with that, but I think I'm pretty resilient and look, I'm lucky that I had the experience at that level. I'm also quite persistent. It was actually the third year that I'd auditioned for X Factor that I got put in the band and you have to have a certain amount of self-belief for that.

What advice would you want to give the you, who went through those private moments now?

I would just say, "Trust yourself and trust your gut, because those things are important, and nobody understands you better than you."

How strange was it for you to go from having that immediate support network of the other four members of One Direction almost gone over night?

It was difficult. There are still people around me that were, like my vocal coach for example, that were around, and she plays a big role in my career. So, there is still enough familiar faces to not kind of feel like alienated and on my own, but it definitely took some getting used to. One Direction was such a well-working machine, so it definitely took some getting used to. But I think, as you spend time on your own you find new people that you really got on with and develop those relationships.

How did you build your identity away from the band?

It took me a second to understand that I was on my own now, and my identity for so long was part of a collective, and obviously you still have an individual identity within that, but you're upholding this collective identity. So, I think it took me a second to kind of understand that I can be a bit of a chav again!

Did you ever feel like were having to put anything on during the band?

You see, I think sometimes people insinuate that it might be the record label and management that make you like this, but it's not. You're respectful of the fan base and their age, and we had a young fan base. Also, they've got mums who can get angry if you piss them off!

Was there a turning point in discovering who you are as a person?

I think I'm lucky that I can kind of come to those conclusions almost through my music. As I've started trusting myself more musically and my musical instincts, there is an overlap with real life there as well.

What's been the career high and low you have learnt the most from?

The high I've learnt the most from would be collectively the One Direction experience and so much that comes with that. It was an incredible experience and taught me so much along the way. In terms of the lows, it's been quite difficult at times to understand the difference between the experience that I have with the band and the experience that I have now, and how relevant that is to a solo artist. I think that's taken me a second to work out, there's some, like the way I started my career as a solo artist and I released a couple of feature songs, which I think are great songs, but looking back I feel like maybe didn't say too much about me musically and my influences All of these things I've kind of had to learn from to get here really.

Looking back over the last ten years is there anything you would change?

In reality I wouldn't. I wouldn't because I think every mistake is all part of your journey, and you do definitely learn something every time. So, in terms of my career and how I've come across publicly and all of that, no, I wouldn't change anything to be honest.

What advice would you want to give someone who has gone through the same life experiences as you?

Find the people in your life that you know you love and trust and talk it through with people. Because I might come across as confident but obviously you have moments where you build things up in your head. The longer you live with that thought you think it's big, it ends up being bigger than the reality of the situation. So, I think just as much communication as possible especially with your family.

How has your relationship with brotherhood changed in your life?

I suppose my career has helped me see the world and meet a lot of different people, and I think that gives you a certain level of understanding. As I've got older really, my responsibility has changed with my sisters and my little brother. I'm currently trying to have a conversation with my twin sisters to go to the sixth form! I try to be more mature but as a brother you have to be.

How have you leaned into your immediate brotherhood of the band at different times in your life?

I think, honestly, there's obviously times where you have better relationships with other members than you do others, but that connection, that'll be forever. Definitely. Because, we experienced so much in a relatively short space of time and it was crazy what we all saw together and experienced, so I think that is something that we'll have forever, really. Definitely. Sometimes you might not see eye to eye, but that's the way friendships go in real life!

You can listen to Louis's tracks 'Don't Let It Break You Heart' and 'We Made It' now, taken from his debut album 'Walls' out January 31st

[dailytomlinson]

[Translation] Louis Tomlinson prepares first solo album: 'I need to make sure it's brilliant' Ex-One Direction spoke to GLOBO hours before the death of her sister Felicite, just 18 years old RIO - Before the interview with singer and composer Louis Tomlinson, on 13/3, the team of the English musician warned: no subject was forbidden, but if possible, it would be better "not to speak very deeply" about the death of the mother of it, an episode that inspired "Two of Us," the single Tomlinson released in early March. After all, it was a sensitive subject. Johannah Poulston died in 2016 at the age of 42 after a rapid and fatal fight against leukemia. From mourning, came verses like "this morning I woke up still dreaming / with memories playing in my head / You'll never know how much I miss you / The day they took you, I wish it had been me", they open the ballad composed by the son.

The 27-year-old, revealed by one of the most successful groups of this decade, One Direction (today on hiatus), did not imagine, however, that hours after the GLOBO chat he would have to deal with another tragic loss: his sister, Félicité, just 18 years old, suffered cardiac arrest and did not resist. So far, Tomlinson has canceled public appearances and has yet to make public pronouncements on her sister's death - her latest social media releases were on the 13th. In the interview, Louis Tomlinson was lively and communicative. Among the members of One Direction (including Zayn Malik, who left the band in 2015), he is the only one who has yet to release an album or solo EP. Perfectionist, the artist postponed or debuted several times, but promised that the wait does not pass this year of 2019: - My fans have waited patiently for so long that I need to make sure this album is brilliant. I do not want to listen later and have the feeling that I could have done better. "Two of us" is a ballad with a very organic instrumentation, with the piano as a base. It's a different song from other singles you've released, like "Just hold on" and "Back to you." Did you feel it was the only way to tell this story? We had some conversations at the origin of the idea to make this song in a more ... let's say, friendly way to the radios. But I wanted to keep it simple. To be honest, this production may be more tied to my album than "Just hold on" and "Back to you." The beauty of fazfeats is being able to live some of the world of other artists, as I did with Steve Aoki and Digital Farm Animals in these singles. But it was not exactly my sound. For the album, which will come out later this year, I will not say that we will only have ballads, but the production will be essentially organic, real, nothing super programmed. What else can you talk about the album? I have worked hard on him. In terms of lyrics, I can say that I am being very honest and telling stories of my life in songs that help me to know a little more about myself. You are often singled out as a perfectionist artist. Did this feature make you stay that long without releasing a solo album? Yes. And you get more pressure when you're doing an individual job, especially an album. I want to make sure every song comes out as good as it can be. I do not want to listen later and have the feeling that I could have done better. Time has passed and I think there is more pressure now for me to release an album soon, so I have to have even more security. How do you deal with this pressure? I definitely feel it, as well as the responsibility I have after having left so many people patiently waiting for this record. But again, I'm also aware that if people expected so much, I need to make sure it's brilliant. Speaking of waiting, since embarking on solo career, you've only made appearances on television shows to promote singles, but no show or tour. Do you miss the stages? Are you ready to go back? Yeah, I'm definitely ready to hit the road and I miss it. I spent a lot of time touring with One Direction ... But of course, you can not do that without an album, so I knew that if you wanted to spend more time molding this record, you would have to wait to go on tour. But it was a conscious choice. And it will not last until the end of the year. You wrote many of the lyrics to One Direction, but I imagine it's different to write for the group and for your solo career. What kind of approaches do you have today that you did not have before? The lyrics in One Direction were a bit more generic, let's put it this way, because they had to match the feelings of four or five of us, so now I have the opportunity to talk more with my heart. In terms of production, I'm probably looking for the simplest possible. In the group, we had a lot of this pressure to make radio songs, but now I want to embrace my roots and keep myself organic, true. One of the challenges of stardom is not being able to control the image that people create of you from news, gossip, and everything else, even when it comes to a reserved person. In a scenario where this public image could be effectively built, how did you want to be seen by everyone? This is difficult. I think the natural stereotype of a musician or a celebrity is not always incredible. Sometimes, for various reasons, people expect me to be rude or bad, for example, when in fact I just wanted them to understand that I'm a really nice guy. One Direction is one of the most popular bands in the world and you have always had to deal with harassment at airports, hotels, get away from paparazzi etc. Is it calmer now? It's less intense, definitely, in every way. The calendar is calmer, my routine too, I have appeared less. So nowadays I get more time and space when I want to play or watch a football match, for example. Although new, you've sold millions of albums, traveled through dozens of countries and lived quite a bit. What are your personal and artistic ambitions? As an artist, I definitely think that in a solo career, I'm starting over. I'm very proud of my experience with One Direction, but now it's my name, so I want to conquer my things too as an individual. That makes me have ambitions to be achieved. As a person, I expect to get old, look back and feel satisfied. I think at some point in my life, when I'm a lot older, I want to go back to a more formal education, maybe a college or something that interests me academically. In 20 years ... I hope I'm still making music, I think it's everything (laughs). Brazil is one of the main markets of One Direction. One of their solo singles, "Back to you," had 17 million streaming footage coming from here, and I imagine you get a lot of messages from Brazilians on social networks ... (INTERRUPTS) MANY messages. Tons of them. How is your relationship with the country and with your fans from here? For starters, I'm completely in love with football. And historically Brazil has formed legends of this sport, so I have a great admiration. About the fans when we play there ... There are a few places that stick to your head when you rank the best, craziest, funniest fans in the world, and Brazil is definitely one of those places. I really feel the support of the Brazilian fan base and I can not wait to go back on tour to see them again.

[louisrecords]

[Translated by Google from Portuguese]

RIO - Before the interview with singer and composer Louis Tomlinson, on 13/3, the team of the English musician warned: no subject was forbidden, but if possible, it would be better "not to speak very deeply" about the death of the mother of it, an episode that inspired "Two of Us," the single Tomlinson released in early March. After all, it was a sensitive subject.

Johannah Poulston died in 2016 at the age of 42 after a rapid and fatal fight against leukemia. From mourning, came verses like "this morning I woke up still dreaming / with memories playing in my head / You'll never know how much I miss you / The day they took you, I wish it had been me", they open the ballad composed by the son.

The 27-year-old, revealed by one of the most successful groups of this decade, One Direction (today on hiatus), did not imagine, however, that hours after the GLOBO chat he would have to deal with another tragic loss: his sister, Félicité, just 18 years old, suffered cardiac arrest and could not resist . So far, Tomlinson has canceled public appearances and has yet to make public pronouncements on her sister's death - her latest social media releases were on the 13th.

In the interview, Louis Tomlinson was lively and communicative. Among the members of One Direction (including Zayn Malik, who left the band in 2015), he is the only one who has yet to release an album or solo EP. Perfectionist, the artist postponed or debuted several times, but promised that the wait does not pass this year of 2019:

- My fans have waited patiently for so long that I need to make sure this album is brilliant. I do not want to listen later and have the feeling that I could have done better.

See below for other interview topics with Freddie Reign's three-year-old Tomlinson, the fruit of a relationship with stylist Briana Jungwirth.

"Two of us" is a ballad with a very organic instrumentation, with the piano as a base. It's a different song from other singles you've released, like "Just hold on" and "Back to you." Did you feel it was the only way to tell this story?

We had some conversations at the origin of the idea to make this song in a more ... let's say, friendly way to the radios. But I wanted to keep it simple. To be honest, this production may be more tied to my album than "Just hold on" and "Back to you." The beauty of doing feats is being able to live some of the world of other artists, as I did with Steve Aoki and Digital Farm Animals on these singles. But it was not exactly my sound. For the album, which will come out later this year, I will not say that we will only have ballads, but the production will be essentially organic, real, nothing super programmed.

What else can you talk about the album?

I have worked hard on him. In terms of lyrics, I can say that I am being very honest and telling stories of my life in songs that help me to know a little more about myself.

You are often singled out as a perfectionist artist. Did this feature make you stay that long without releasing a solo album?

Yes. And you get more pressure when you're doing an individual job, especially an album. I want to make sure every song comes out as good as it can be. I do not want to listen later and have the feeling that I could have done better. Time has passed and I think there is more pressure now for me to release an album soon, so I have to have even more security.

How do you deal with this pressure?

I definitely feel it, as well as the responsibility I have after having left so many people patiently waiting for this record. But again, I'm also aware that if people expected so much, I need to make sure it's brilliant.

Speaking of waiting, since embarking on solo career, you've only made appearances on television shows to promote singles, but no show or tour. Do you miss the stages? Are you ready to go back?

Yeah, I'm definitely ready to hit the road and I miss her. I spent a lot of time touring with One Direction ... But of course, you can not do that without an album, so I knew that if you wanted to spend more time molding this record, you would have to wait to go on tour. But it was a conscious choice. And it will not last until the end of the year.

And your son will be close to turning four by the end of the year so I figure this is a good time to go on tour again.

Yeah. It is always difficult to leave him, but now he is already grown. Of course, when I go on tour, it's not going to be with those crazy schedules either, being a long time away from home.

How did the experience of parenting inspire you?

Musically, I would not say it was a big influence, maybe just in one of the songs I'm recording. And personally, I always treated the idea as natural. It was a great event, of course, but I am the oldest of seven brothers, so I always had to be very responsible.

You wrote many of the lyrics to One Direction, but I imagine it's different to write for the group and for your solo career. What kind of approaches do you have today that you did not have before?

The lyrics in One Direction were a bit more generic, let's put it this way, because they had to match the feelings of four or five of us, so now I have the opportunity to talk more with my heart. In terms of production, I'm probably looking for the simplest possible. In the group, we had a lot of this pressure to make radio songs, but now I want to embrace my roots and keep myself organic, true.

One of the challenges of stardom is not being able to control the image that people create of you from news, gossip, and everything else, even when it comes to a reserved person. In a scenario where this public image could be effectively built, how did you want to be seen by everyone?

This is difficult. I think the natural stereotype of a musician or a celebrity is not always incredible. Sometimes, for various reasons, people expect me to be rude or bad, for example, when in fact I just wanted them to understand that I'm a really nice guy.

One Direction is one of the most popular bands in the world and you have always had to deal with harassment at airports, hotels, get away from paparazzi etc. Is it calmer now?

It's less intense, definitely, in every way. The calendar is calmer, my routine too, I have appeared less. So nowadays I get more time and space when I want to play or watch a football match, for example.

Although new, you've sold millions of albums, traveled through dozens of countries and lived quite a bit. What are your personal and artistic ambitions?

As an artist, I definitely think that in a solo career, I'm starting over. I'm very proud of my experience with One Direction, but now it's my name, so I want to conquer my things too as an individual. That makes me have ambitions to be achieved. As a person, I expect to get old, look back and feel satisfied. I think at some point in my life, when I'm a lot older, I want to go back to a more formal education, maybe a college or something that interests me academically.

In 20 years ...

I hope I'm still making music, I think it's everything (laughs) .

Brazil is one of the main markets of One Direction. One of their solo singles, "Back to you," had 17 million streaming footage coming from here, and I imagine you get a lot of messages from Brazilians on social networks ...

(STOP) MANY messages. Tons of them.

How is your relationship with the country and with your fans from here?

For starters, I'm completely in love with football. And historically Brazil has formed legends of this sport, so I have a great admiration. About the fans when we play there ... There are a few places that stick to your head when you rank the best, craziest, funniest fans in the world, and Brazil is definitely one of those places. I really feel the support of the Brazilian fan base and I can not wait to go back on tour to see them again.

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON HEAVEN’S MAIN DANCE RYU EUNBI...

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: Evie CURRENT AGE:  26 DEBUT AGE: 18 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 15 COMPANY: 99 SECONDARY SKILL: Fashion design

IDOL PROFILE

NICKNAME(S): lemonie (due to her alleged lemon obsession), eve (due to the close proximity of her stage and group name with religious themes), peitho (in english, name of the goddess that personified persuasion and seduction, much like herown image). INSPIRATION: claims to be inspired by company seniors, as well as her parents’ work ethic. SPECIAL TALENTS:

speed dancing: has good choreographic memory, can accurately perform a variety of routines in different styles and at increased levels of speed.

physical flexibility: resulting from dedicated practice (especially in acro dance), she likes to impress with gymnastic manoeuvres such as front/side splits, and backbends.

NOTABLE FACTS:

has a reported IQ of 145

sang in a youth choir at a local church before joining 99 entertainment

has an eye for fashion, designed much of her own streetwear during heaven’s debut era

avid lemonade lover; fans often bring her lemonade beverages and lemon-themed accessories.

IDOL GOALS

SHORT-TERM GOALS:

within the next six to twelve months, while continuing to solidify her place in the fashion industry through various program and brand appearances, eunbi would like to focus on branding herself as a serious and well-seasoned dancer, despite being from a group whose choreography routines aren’t the most complex. if possible, and in attempt to generate additional buzz, she’d like to assist with heaven’s choreography, revert the public’s attention from the fact that her solo did poorly. she’s especially interested in having people see multiple sides of her through dance, rather than just 99′s fabricated version of her. in this way, not only would she continue to hone her dancing skills, but she’d effectively prove that such capabilities make her something more than just the member of heaven who flopped.

LONG-TERM GOALS:

in the long run, eunbi wishes to revel in levels of fame only graced by some of the legendary seniors before her. despite previous setbacks, she still wishes to have a successful solo career somehow, and avoid being forgotten during the eventual fall of third generation girl groups. however, bearing in mind the reality of the situation, eunbi also hopes to achieve a prominent position in the fashion world. well into the future, she’d like to manage her own multi-national luxury fashion conglomerate and have it see success in both domestic and international territory. the ability to showcase and model her own designs would be ideal, as to not resort to faceless background work. in addition, due to eunbi’s unwavering passion for dance, she’d like to continue honing and utilizing her skills. this could potentially be as a choreographer for the company, but as with other aspects of her career, eunbi wishes for her work to be highly publicized. she enjoys recognition.

IDOL IMAGE

following heaven’s formation, eunbi was presented to the public as the rosy-cheeked babe of heaven, the timid girl next door. evie, they’d called her. and evie was a riveting combination, a sultry mix of soft and sexy, and a poster girl when it came to tried-and-true summer styles. as a result, 99 marketed her in a manner meant to be appealing, but never to the extremes. she was to be balanced instead– innocence and cuteness, desire and allure.

as the years progressed and evie blossomed further into womanhood, however, she became the owner of a figure well-praised. her long legs and slender frame steadily rose to attention on forums, and netizens commented over again and again about the silhouette of her curves beneath loose clothing, her suggestive acts and how she was teasingly aware of them.

with more exposure and attention came more confidence and pride, more insight towards the power of her sexuality. evie eventually developed a tempting gaze,  a perpetual desire to test the waters and perform brazen movements for the stage. she made it a point to leave people wanting more, more, more. she was the girl next door, after all, forever and always ideal and desirable. but older now. wiser, too. more sure of herself. she’d transformed into the summer IT girl, a coquettish beach doll that could fascinate a room with even the most banal of activities. 

the general public loved to ogle at evie, loved to watch as she took a sip of water or climbed immaculately out of a pool. something about her was classically beautiful, captivating.

and she was theirs for the viewing, entirely; their sensual and soft toy; their gratifying object, available for consumption at the press of the button. she belonged to them, and for the sake of her career, eunbi adhered to the position. she yielded without complaint to the image her company had crafted for her, surrendered bits and pieces of herself until she was nothing but a shell of her former self.

the new version of her was perfect and polished, eyes dull, but spirit keen. she worked like a robot, making each decision through a strictly calculative mindset. she was always thinking, planning, plotting. life was about maintaining connections, to her. seeking opportunities.

if i move like this, will it encourage views? if i smile a little wider, would merch sales improve? if i was honest about my thoughts, how would people react?

as far as eunbi knew, there were always systematically correct choices to make, always the smartest decisions to propel her forward in the industry.

she’d thought it to be a curse, disguised as a blessing, but 99 continued to eat it up anyway. they regarded her ambition, her desirability, as something to generate profit from. and though she sometimes hated it, she allowed it, because the truth was like this: somewhere within the mental chaos and the management of her porcelain perfection, she’d achieved something.

she’d mastered the art of being ryu eunbi, and she held onto that dearly.

IDOL HISTORY

from a young age, her parents had demonstrated their strong drives, their unwavering ability to work hard. she watched, day by day, as they lost themselves to untouchable dreams, she listened and learned as they prioritized work over family. and it was okay, then. “you work so hard!,” friends and family would comment to her mother. strong work ethic, everyone thought. their behavior was inspiring, they were chasing their dreams. and perhaps that really was the case. her parents had been passionate about their respective careers, and through frequent absences, they’d instilled their daughter with the same excessive values. by five, she already knew work to be the number one focus in her life. her mother kept busy as a neurosurgeon, her father slept nights in his recording studio. as a result, eunbi was usually tossed off to the hands of a church, their choir program becoming an integral part of her after-school routine.

✦✦✦

eunbi was fourteen when her parents announced their divorce.

her response came in the form of a wayward tongue, bouts of rebellious behavior with a cold glare to match. though she insisted that she didn’t care, that she’d seen it coming, the school counselor suggested otherwise. “it’s not uncommon for children to display behavioral issues after divorce,” he’d said in a meeting with her mother once. her father, as usual, hadn’t been able to make it. he’d made up some lie, concocted a story about the recording studio and an unfinished track. as it’d been revealed later, however, in the later years, it wasn’t music that so often distracted him from the family he had at home. his interest gradually faded with the dawning realization that his career could never be helped, and instead, he sought comfort in other places. other women, other homes, as if the original hadn’t been sufficient enough for him. and eunbi’s backwards response to the truth of it left her mother with no choice but to give her an ultimatum.

focus on her studies (read: keep out of trouble), or face being exiled to a school abroad.

exasperated, but never allowing anger to cloud her logic, eunbi easily chose the former. in a questionable amount of time, she’d left behind the underage parties and drinking, switched it out for after-school study rooms and dance studios instead. when her head wasn’t dipped far into a book, brain crammed with formulas and facts, eunbi would dance; it’d become her way to distress, and she was a natural, indeed; her body a mere instrument in its ability to project movement so clearly and efficiently.

after a year of discovering her new hobby, it’d been announced through fliers on walls that 99 entertainment was in search of new trainees. more than fear of missing out, eunbi’s desire to participate was born out of a love, a thirst, for competition. of course, she enjoyed the idea of celebrity life too, the riches and fame and attention and gifts. but competition, it motivated her even more, always fueling her drive to be the best. and when the time arrived, when rumors of an upcoming girl group began swirling around company buildings, eunbi knew she needed to prove herself. she knew just how to do it, too; set herself apart from the remaining group of aspirants; excel in the areas that they simply could not. for her? that was dance. she focused consistently on perfecting her technique, working herself to exhaustion, day and night, on far too frequent of a basis. but it all paid off in the long run, those arduous routines, immoderate perseverance.

upper officials thought her to be a perfect addition to the group they had envisioned, and just like that, she was added to the lineup of their new girlgroup: HEAVEN.

✦✦✦

when heaven made their official debut in 2010, eunbi was far too young then to know better. eighteen, naive as possible, idol life never seemed like something that could constitute as a problem. instead all she saw was the cameras, the flashing lights, the television screens that were responsible for the pretentious display of her group. and it’d been fascinating, initially. distracting, a breath of fresh air from her toxic home life, her mother’s growing alcohol habit. it was a rush to film the music videos, a rush to perform on stages and be pampered with the likes of stylists or makeup artists. as time went on though, eunbi’s happiness slowly diminished. she grew unhappy with heaven as a group, the image 99 had curated for them. she’d never been a fan in the first place, but now she was tired, disturbed even, by the recycled concepts and corny songs that failed to represent her. she wanted more, felt desire burning in the pit of her stomach, this need to demonstrate that she was more than just a background member in the group. she had the potential to be a grand soloist; the ambitious drive and creative mind; the sharp singing skills, even sharper dancing skills.

when the company allowed her to try her hand at solo music, eunbi thought, genuinely, that it would all work out in her favor. she’d taken advice from company executives, went with what they considered “safely sexy” but public friendly. it didn’t matter that, as usual, the sound and style didn’t align with her personal tastes. she cared about having the song be well-received, having a catchy hit to blow up the airwaves. what she’d gotten though, turned out to be quite the opposite. 99 had failed in its venture to properly promote her, and the public had been no better either, failing her as well when they refused to react the way she had hoped for. rather than praising or hyping her up, the song became the subject of minor controversy, with many people criticizing it for its provocative choreography and “cheap, lazy” feel. in turn, it suffered from mediocre sales and lowly-placed positions on music charts.

evie the soloist simply wasn’t profitable enough.

✦✦✦

there were many intolerable aspects about working as an entertainer; taxing work schedules, outré speculation. the strict image constraints and lackluster concepts that’d been played out one, two, three times too many. despite everything though, heaven remained at the center of eunbi’s universe, forever and always her treasure. the fact that her solo career hadn’t worked out only solidified the idea – she was nothing without the group, nothing if she couldn’t stand tall and proud as heaven’s evie. since the release of the debut track, and all of its glorious aftermath, longevity became one of her main goals and continues to be so in present day. aside from personal endeavors in both fashion and dance, eunbi found it necessary to maintain the group’s relevancy, often working with her parent’s zeal to ensure their good standing. she feared the impending waves of new groups, the threat they posed to her position, to her group’s. and it was true, perhaps, that she needed to let go. heaven was going to disband eventually, she couldn’t cling onto them forever. but she wasn’t ready yet. heaven had become too big of a thing in her life, the life vest that’d kept her from drowning. until she successfully found an alternative, a path as equally as fulfilling, she refused to stop.

[hlupdate]

Louis Tomlinson shot to international and unprecedented fame back in 2010, as one firth of One Direction on the X-Factor.

Fast forward ten years and Louis Tomlinson – now 27 years-old has experienced the most incredible professional highs with mind boggling achievements such as winning five Brit awards, embarking on record breaking international tours that outsold even Katy Perry and The Rolling Stones and selling over 50 million records worldwide all as part of one of the planets most successful ever boybands.

But during this time Louis has also experienced many personal lows, all whilst under the microscope of extreme public attention. In late 2016 Louis’ mother died and in March this year Louis also lost his sister. Despite these life changing moments, Louis has used the lows to empower him with him notably writing the powerful, Two of Us and returning to the X-Factor stage the day after his mother’s death to perform his collaboration with Steve Aoki, Just Hold On! Louis’ response to the darkest times of his life are nothing short of inspiring.

In our latest edition of GLAMOUR UNFILTERED, hosted by Josh Smith, Louis Tomlinson talks about how he has leaned into his vulnerability, how hard it was for him to establish his own identity away from One Direction to create his own path as a solo artist and how his relationship with the brotherhood in the band has changed…

With a new album, new songs and a tour on the way, what does Louis 2.0 represent?

I haven't really thought about it really, but I think musically what I was really happy with on this album is my first single of this, Kill My Mind. I feel like I am a little bit more mature in my songwriting, and I feel like as time goes on, the more songs that I write, I feel like I understand lyrics more and more. I'm just honest I'd say.

What do you think has been the hardest thing for you to be honest about with yourself?

To be honest, I'm lucky with where I grew up. In Doncaster we wear our heart on our sleeves really. So, it comes naturally to me really to just be open about the way that I feel. I think it's important to do that in songwriting. I just see it as honesty.

There is still so much stigma around men being vulnerable – how have you navigated around the stereotype?

I'm aware of it, but it’s not how I operate personally. I've always kind of owned it. I think my mum did a good job of bringing me up and taught me good values. When we wrote Two of Us, that was obviously a very personal song for me, and probably the most vulnerable I've been, especially on a song. But it feels good to be honest and talk about these things and encourage other people to talk about these things.

What's been the most amazing reaction to that honesty for you?

It was with Two of Us, to be honest. It was just, I've had a couple of moments where fans have come up to me and told me what that song means to them and maybe they've just had a loss in their life. I never really had that in the band to that level, my lyrics really meaning something to people. So, that's incredible.

What have you learnt about yourself through being a front man?

I feel like I've learnt to trust my gut more and just own my decisions, because when there's a lot of people around you that, there's always a lot of opinions. So, I feel like I understand myself more as an artist, I understand myself more as a songwriter. I’ve just been trusting my gut more I think as I've got older. To be honest, kind of what you see is what you get with me and I've always been that way. There's not really too much complexity to it - I'm lucky like that.

You have been through so many extreme private moments in such a public sphere. How have you coped with that?

It was definitely difficult at first, when I first got put in the band and having to deal with not having as much privacy. But I suppose as time goes on you grow to understand it and get used to it. To be honest, there have been some pretty hard times in my life, and although I wouldn't have chosen to have them played out in the public, some of the reactions and some of the stuff I got from fans was incredible too. It’s tit for tat really. It’s been difficult, but that's life anyway, it's just that on a massive scale. I suppose at the start of the band I struggled a little bit with that, but I think I'm pretty resilient and look, I'm lucky that I had the experience at that level. I'm also quite persistent. It was actually the third year that I'd auditioned for X Factor that I got put in the band and you have to have a certain amount of self-belief for that.

What advice would you want to give the you, who went through those private moments now?

I would just say, "Trust yourself and trust your gut, because those things are important, and nobody understands you better than you."

How strange was it for you to go from having that immediate support network of the other four members of One Direction almost gone over night?

It was difficult. There are still people around me that were, like my vocal coach for example, that were around, and she plays a big role in my career. So, there is still enough familiar faces to not kind of feel like alienated and on my own, but it definitely took some getting used to. One Direction was such a well-working machine, so it definitely took some getting used to. But I think, as you spend time on your own you find new people that you really got on with and develop those relationships.

How did you build your identity away from the band?

It took me a second to understand that I was on my own now, and my identity for so long was part of a collective, and obviously you still have an individual identity within that, but you're upholding this collective identity. So, I think it took me a second to kind of understand that I can be a bit of a chav again!

Did you ever feel like were having to put anything on during the band?

You see, I think sometimes people insinuate that it might be the record label and management that make you like this, but it's not. You're respectful of the fan base and their age, and we had a young fan base. Also, they've got mums who can get angry if you piss them off!

Was there a turning point in discovering who you are as a person?

I think I'm lucky that I can kind of come to those conclusions almost through my music. As I've started trusting myself more musically and my musical instincts, there is an overlap with real life there as well.

What's been the career high and low you have learnt the most from?

The high I've learnt the most from would be collectively the One Direction experience and so much that comes with that. It was an incredible experience and taught me so much along the way. In terms of the lows, it's been quite difficult at times to understand the difference between the experience that I have with the band and the experience that I have now, and how relevant that is to a solo artist. I think that's taken me a second to work out, there's some, like the way I started my career as a solo artist and I released a couple of feature songs, which I think are great songs, but looking back I feel like maybe didn't say too much about me musically and my influences All of these things I've kind of had to learn from to get here really.

Looking back over the last ten years is there anything you would change?

In reality I wouldn't. I wouldn't because I think every mistake is all part of your journey, and you do definitely learn something every time. So, in terms of my career and how I've come across publicly and all of that, no, I wouldn't change anything to be honest.

What advice would you want to give someone who has gone through the same life experiences as you?

Find the people in your life that you know you love and trust and talk it through with people. Because I might come across as confident but obviously you have moments where you build things up in your head. The longer you live with that thought you think it's big, it ends up being bigger than the reality of the situation. So, I think just as much communication as possible especially with your family.

How has your relationship with brotherhood changed in your life?

I suppose my career has helped me see the world and meet a lot of different people, and I think that gives you a certain level of understanding. As I've got older really, my responsibility has changed with my sisters and my little brother. I'm currently trying to have a conversation with my twin sisters to go to the sixth form! I try to be more mature but as a brother you have to be.

Do you still have issues with the idea of adulting?

Whenever I'm with my son Freddie, and whenever I'm having those kinds of conversations about school with my sister, I feel like then I've got my adult head on. I have to, to have credibility in those conversations. But I definitely still act like a lad at times!

How have you leaned into your immediate brotherhood of the band at different times in your life?

I think, honestly, there's obviously times where you have better relationships with other members than you do others, but that connection, that'll be forever. Definitely. Because, we experienced so much in a relatively short space of time and it was crazy what we all saw together and experienced, so I think that is something that we'll have forever, really. Definitely. Sometimes you might not see eye to eye, but that's the way friendships go in real life!