Louis Tomlinson Talks ‘Rough’ Treatment From Fans

As a member of One Direction and solo artist, Louis Tomlinson has seen more tears and wailing than a veteran midwife. Sometimes, that hysteria shifts into overdrive, with gripping, shirt-ripping and knocks to the body.

The British pop singer is used to wearing bruises as badges, the result of close encounters with overeager fans, he tells Australia’s commercial radio network Nova.

Leaning into the pit, “it’s by far my favorite part of the show,” he shares with Nova host Smallzy. “The minute you walk out to stage you feel that adrenaline. But literally the closer you get to the crowd, the more of that adrenaline you feel and by the end of the show, yeah I get down in the pit and just kind of immerse myself. And that feeling is absolutely amazing.”

There’s a line, he admits. And it’s sometimes crossed. “I kind of like getting in there and it feeling a little bit rough. I like that. That’s part of it. When they start ripping the clothes off me, it gets a little bit on top, you know? But yeah, is what it is.”

Zooming in from a rainy Berlin, one stop on his current European tour, Tomlinson reveals he’s “got a fat bruise on the back of the arm from the from the other night,” all because “some girl got me in the grip.”

Tomlinson also discusses his star turn in the feature-length documentary, All of Those Voices, which dropped on Paramount + earlier this month. There’s times in the life of a pop star “when it’s been incredibly liberating and times when it’s been tough as well. I’m hoping it gives an honest portrayal of that,” he explains. Was anything cut from the final edit? “Maybe some bad banter or shit jokes,” he quips.

The former 1D star also answers a smattering of fan questions — does he read DMs from randoms (occasionally), will there be a live album or new rock version of “Back to You” (no comment, but he does hint at something in the works), and the song he’s most proud of (“Saturdays.” There’s “something about it live, it feels special”).

Tomlinson’s tour reaches home soil next month for a run of U.K. and Ireland arena shows, in support of Faith In The Future, his second solo album.

Faith In The Future debuted at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart last November, for his first solo leader and fifth including his work as a member of One Direction. In the United States, Faith In The Future debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales, and at No. 5 on the all-genre Billboard 200, his highest-charting set yet on both tallies.