Recommended tracks: “Lemonade,” “On Fire,” “Dark To Light”
Artists you might like: 5 Seconds of Summer, Ashe, Shawn Mendes
Having found Faith In the Future, Louis Tomlinson is finally standing in the present on his latest LP How Did I Get Here? Tomlinson achieved his fame as one of the five members of One Direction, reaching massive heights with sold-out world tours, No. 1 albums, and chart-topping singles. How Did I Get Here? is Tomlinson’s third solo album and it finally feels like he’s found his footing.
Tomlinson has placed his honesty at the center of the project—an honesty he describes as his “bread and butter.” While he doesn’t always get the recognition he deserves as a songwriter, anyone who has been paying attention knows he’s long been one of the most gifted writers in the industry. He contributed to the majority of One Direction’s biggest hits, including “Story of My Life,” “Midnight Memories,” and “Steal My Girl,” and let’s not forget hits of his own like “Back to You,” “Two of Us,” “Walls,” and “Silver Tongues.” So where has his journey from boyband member to solo artist brought us?
I think it’s safe to say that when an artist lets go of expectations and makes the record they want to make, the hits tend to follow. That lack of pressure shows in the easy, breezy lead single “Lemonade,” along with the latest focus track “Imposter.” The Doncaster-born singer began teasing “Lemonade” back in September 2025 with the rollout of Louis’ Lemonade recipe. Tomlinson went on to perform the track on Radio 1’s Live Lounge, along with a cover of Hozier‘s “Too Sweet.”
On “Imposter,” he relays the uneasy feeling of never quite believing your own success. Joining forces with Nico Rebscher and Dave Gibson, Tomlinson sings, “I can’t get this feeling out my head, that I am the imposter / I don’t really know who I am anymore.”
“‘Imposter’ was written in the jungle in Costa Rica. Conceptually it leans into the idea of identity. It’s probably the most melodic moment on the record, I’m really excited for the world to finally hear it,” Tomlinson shares.
Get ready for epic live performances of “On Fire” on the How Did We Get Here? World Tour, because the chorus is begging for a crowd to scream “When the smoke gets in my eyes / You set me on fire” at the top of their lungs. It makes perfect sense that you can already hear the live potential, especially after Tomlinson went on the Zach Sang Show and credited his fans as the headliners of one of his shows. “If nobody sang and nobody turned up, it’d be different,” he said.
For me, a ballad can make or break an album. If it’s done right, it becomes a space for listeners to breathe and gives weight to the tracks around it. A ballad gives a vocalist a chance to prove themselves, leaving no room to hide behind production and energy. If the emotion isn’t real, the vocals won’t connect. Listening to as much music as I do, it becomes easy to hear when a concept is made up versus when it is lived in. “Dark To Light” clearly comes from a very real place of grief. It’s no secret that Tomlinson has experienced more than his fair share of loss, including the tragic passing of his mother in 2016, his sister in 2019, and dear friend and former bandmate Liam Payne in 2024.
Earlier this month, a fan asked Tomlinson on X which track was the most emotional on the album. He replied, “Dark To Light.” Devastating edits of Liam and Louis have flooded social media, as fans pieced together that the song was a goodbye to someone who left such a lasting mark on his life. The tattoo Payne had across his chest reading “where dark meets light” makes the connection almost impossible to miss: “I wish you could see how / You look in my eyes / One more time / Would it make a difference? / Would it make you smile? / Could it bring you from dark to light?”
In true Louis Tomlinson fashion, “Sanity” pairs a nonchalant, playful approach with an infectious beat while tackling a theme that’s a bit on the heavier side. “I think that’s a good metaphor for me. I don’t like to take myself too seriously. Now get me in a serious chat, and I will go serious,” he explains. It’s liberating to dance through the contradictions of your own thoughts, singing, “No distortion now (I know you’re not listening, so) / I keep talking to myself, to myself, to myself / I got my sanity, it’s only me.”
How Did I Get Here? is jam packed with tracks that are ready to be added to your summer 2026 playlists while also tugging at your heart strings. If this is where he’s arrived, it’s clear that the best of Louis Tomlinson is still ahead.
Be sure to grab tickets to his upcoming tour below.
How Did We Get Here? World Tour Dates
EU & UK (tickets here)
3/23 – Hamburg, DE – Barclays Arena
3/25 – Oslo, NO – Unity Arena
3/27 – Helsinki, FI – Helsinki Halli
3/29 – Stockholm, SE – Avicii Arena
3/30 – Copenhagen, DK – KB Hallen
4/1 – Berlin, DE – Uber Arena
4/2 – Cologne, DE – Lanxess Arena
4/4 – Gliwice, PL – Arena Gliwice
4/5 – Prague, CZ – O2 Arena
4/6 – Vienna, AT – Marx Halle
4/9 – Bologna, IT – Unipol Arena
4/10 – Milan, IT – Unipol Forum
4/12 – Barcelona, ES – Palau Sant Jordi
4/13 – Madrid, ES – Movistar Arena
4/15 – Lyon, FR – LDLC Arena
4/17 – Munich, DE – Olympiahalle
4/19 – Antwerp, BE – Lotto Arena
4/20 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome
4/21 – Paris, FR – Accor Arena
4/24 – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
4/25 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
4/27 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
4/28 – Leeds, UK – First Direct Arena
4/30 – Dublin, IE – 3Arena
5/2 – Brighton, UK – The Brighton Centre
5/3 – London, UK – The O2
North America (tickets here)
6/3 – Vancouver, BC – Pacific Coliseum
6/4 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
6/6 – San Francisco, CA – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
6/10 – San Diego, CA – The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
6/11 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena
6/13 – Las Vegas, NV – Resorts World Theatre
6/14 – Phoenix, AZ – PHX Arena
6/19 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
6/21 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
6/22 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
6/25 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory
6/27 – St. Louis, MO – Chaifetz Arena
6/29 – Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle
7/2 – Independence, MO – Cable Dahmer Arena
7/3 – Chicago, IL – Allstate Arena
7/5 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
7/7 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
7/8 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
7/10 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE Outdoors
7/11 – Philadelphia, PA – Highmark Skyline Stage at the Mann
7/14 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
7/16 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
7/17 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
7/18 – Detroit, MI – Masonic Temple Theatre
7/20 – Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion
7/22 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
7/23 – Orlando, FL – Addition Financial Arena
7/24 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center
Keep up with Louis Tomlinson: Instagram // X // Facebook // Website
