All Of Those Voices

In late March, Louis Tomlinson’s documentary, All Of These Voices premiered and brought fangirls flocking to the theaters. Tomlinson is one of the five members of the world-famous boy band One Direction, which went on hiatus in 2015. The film takes you on a journey through Tomlinson’s emotional story of self-discovery.
We travel back in time for the opening of the documentary, which shows us Tomlinson’s audition and One Direction’s formation on The X-Factor. Although One Direction placed third place on The X-Factor, the band quickly became one of the most successful boy bands in history with popular hits like What Makes You Beautiful and Night Changes. The group released five albums and performed sold-out stadium world tours in the five years together. On March 25, 2015, Zayn Malik announced he was leaving One Direction. The band continued as a foursome for a few months, releasing one album post-Malik, and then announced a ‘hiatus.’ Since then, each of the five members has gone on to have successful solo careers, most notably Harry Styles, who recently won ‘Album of the Year’ at the 2023 Grammys for his album Harry’s House.
The opening of the film was a heartbreaking reminder of the last performance of One Direction in December of 2015 when they sang their song History on The X-Factor. We got behind-the-scenes footage of that performance, witnessing the melancholic backstage banter and last group hug. While people may think the band was itching to go their separate ways, Tomlinson expressed how he couldn’t imagine a musical career without the band.
Tomlinson explained how it took a while to find his footing in the band. At the start his solo verses were often cut from songs, which led him to contribute to the band through writing, earning more writing credits than anyone else in the band. After the band’s break-up, Tomlinson had to discover his musical path again, this time navigating it without his four bandmates to support him.
Unfortunately, while trying to figure himself out, Tomlinson’s mother, Johanna Deakin, passed away in 2016 after struggling with leukemia. Tomlinson persevered, performing a tribute for his mother and first solo performance days after she had passed. About three years later, his younger sister Félicité passed away at the age of 18. Still trying to find his path with a solo career, these brutal hits kept setting Tomlinson back.
Hearing Tomlinson’s raw honesty in the film was a shock to fans as One Direction had always been private about their personal lives. Finding the strength to have a successful career through memories of his mother encouraging him to always move forward and dedicated fans, Tomlinson released his first solo album in 2020 called Walls.
Tomlinson’s fan base gave him much-needed confidence and motivation. He recalled reading supportive tweets and doing performances where fans were lined up for hours and days just to get tickets.
Like many artists, Tomlinson’s tour was postponed due to the pandemic. During this time, Tomlinson bonded with his family. His maternal grandparents, his five siblings and close friends all were featured in the documentary talking about his personal life and career experiences. Fans got to see touching moments between Tomlinson and his son, Freddie, who was born in 2016.
When shows began getting rescheduled in 2022, Tomlinson was lucky to get back to his tour. The relationship Tomlinson has with his fans didn’t dwindle, and he got back on stage to do what he loves. At each show, Tomlinson has a quote he says to his fans, “I need you and you need me.” The quote perfectly captures the relationship he has formed with the fans that have helped him thrive in his solo career.
By the end of the film, Tomlinson has completed his first world tour, formed a family-like bond with his band and tour staff, and released his second album, Faith In The Future.
For all of those who doubted the members of One Direction would be able to make it on their own, Tomlinson’s documentary is just one example of the hundreds of ways the boys have continued their successful careers.