Louis Tomlinson: ‘It’s a Real Honor to Have the Opportunity to Perform in India’

At Louis Tomlinson’s debut show in the country at Lollapalooza India 2025 in Mumbai, the pop singer-songwriter’s fans were like an additional member. Right from the early roar from the thousands gathered for a slot up front right at the start of the day (in searing Mumbai heat and humidity, no less), there was an energy that was intimate yet expansive at Mahalaxmi Race Course on Mar. 9, 2025.  

Tomlinson’s set was prefaced by a video of him writing on a lens, “India! I told you so”—signed with his trademark smiley face. It was a loud and clear message from the star to his fans—known as Louies—that he was making good on his promise to come to India. The artist opened with punchy songs like “The Greatest” and “Kill My Mind” and went on to include hits like “Walls,” “Saturdays,” and “Silver Tongues,” with the energy between him and the audience never flagging. 

Now that he’s been here and done just a handful of interviews, Tomlinson—a former member of the erstwhile pop group One Direction, whose songs “Drag Me Down,” “Night Changes,” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” also made it to his set—says he’s keen to be back. Speaking to Rolling Stone India in a well-lit, mirror-filled hotel ballroom, Tomlinson made his entrance for interviews a little past 1 pm on performance day, clad in a black T-shirt and shorts, tousled hair and quick-witted energy. When he said that he often comes off stage “buzzing,” the prep before a show also has him quite excited.  

He’s well aware that it’s only an hour-long set at Lollapalooza India, so it might just fly by for him. He thinks out loud, and what he might do to come down from his performance. “I think I’ll probably finish and run over and try to watch Green Day, to be honest,” Tomlinson says. He adds, “But it’s nice if you just kind of take five minutes after the show to just take it all in. I’m gonna feel like I walk out little bit nervous [then] adrenaline is going to slap me around the face, and then I’m going to blink, and it’s [the set] going to be over.”  

In our interview, Tomlinson talks about his interactions with fans in India, finally getting here and his advice to artists who may join pop group. Excerpts:  

Rolling Stone India: Part of the reason you’re here in India is possibly due to the fan devotion, people asking for you to come here, right? What have your past interactions with fans from India been like?  

Louis Tomlinson: I haven’t really had enough yet, but the few that I’ve had has been absolutely amazing. But also, you know, right back to my time in the band [pop group One Direction], I’ve definitely felt the presence from the Indian fans online. Yes, part of the reason I’m here is because people have been asking. But also, this is just somewhere I’ve always wanted to come not just to perform… [that] really feels like a luxury. But even just to be here and to visit, it’s definitely somewhere, where as a young lad, I never, ever imagined I would be in India, never mind performing here. It’s a real honor to have the opportunity, actually.  

Before you could come to India, I imagine perhaps that a lot of fans from India have been going to your shows in other countries. When you’ve been in Asia and other parts of the world. Have you had any interactions with Indian fans? Have you seen maybe someone flying an Indian flag in the crowd?  

Actually, I have, yeah. There’s been occasionally, I can’t remember exactly where… my memory is questionable, but I can picture someone holding up a banner of “India when?” I’m like, “Soon.” I think I replied to a fan online about six years ago, saying, “I don’t know exactly when, but I’m going to be here.” I feel really proud to be here and it’s another moment that I’d say, to any of the Indian fans – I could not, I would not be here without them. Anyone who’s coming to the show today should really drink that in if they really enjoy it and feel proud of me. It’s a collective thing, man. 

I’m guessing you do read a bunch of fan mail and fan comments online, then?  

I see a lot of what’s online.  

But I’m guessing you try to keep your distance from it?  

Well, listen, sometimes social media can be a bit of a toxic place. I sometimes I like kind of seeing the gossip, you know? Kind of what’s going on between the fans and stuff. It’s kind of funny. But no, I think it’s also important that I have a bird’s eye view and understand what’s going on within the fan culture, etc. 

I was kind of new to it that way to understand just how much fans do for you, if they have fan actions during songs. What is it like having that – I’m not going to say power – but that kind of influence on fans? 

It’s beautiful man. Yeah, maybe power would be the wrong word. It’s such a collaboration, the whole thing.  

Let’s just say for the sake of argument that there might be someone there today that has followed quite a lot of my solo career. I’ve come a long way since the start. I could empathize and imagine being a fan in the room today and just taking that ownership for yourself as well. That’s what I kind of love about this whole thing – I think, and especially tour shows, fans get a real opportunity to see their worth in a very literal sense.  

They create these nights for me and for us, for these great experiences for both of us. So I think that’s a really beautiful thing. That’s why I always just want to put on the best show possible. Because I’ve never – and I mean this – I’ve never, ever, ever played a show that has been less than an eight out of 10. Every single time, the crowd give it everything. That is something that I will never, ever take for granted, especially today, when it’s a new territory, it’s a new country. I don’t know what to expect. I kind of have an idea, but I don’t know what to expect. So I imagine I’ll come off stage feeling really buzzy and excited, but probably really grateful as well. 

You were saying in an earlier interview about how you look fans in the eye in the crowd and feel that connect. A lot of people cry, a lot of people shout, all those things happened at your shows. What is that connection like? 

I would say those connections are so raw. I think outside of the context of a gig, that would be kind of crazy, to have those moments. But I think within the context of the gig, if I could truthfully [say], in those kind of moments, I feel the importance of the night for me and for the fan that I may be having that experience with. This is a high pressure job. That’s what keeps me really ambitious and really motivated – those really magical live moments where you can literally look right into someone’s soul and see what the night means to them. It’s really fucking beautiful. 

Was there any recent instance of that happening, maybe at the London show that you played early in March? 

Yeah, that was great, because that was a little bit smaller of a show than we’ve done recently. It really felt like everyone was kind of on top of me and the sound was really great. The time that might happen the most is when on the last song, in “Silver Tongues,” I’ll always climb down and get into the pit, and that’s where I will really have these really visceral, literal moments. 

India is a country that you’re playing in for the first time, and it’s a festival. It’s not the full Louis Tomlinson experience. How do you prepare a setlist for those kind of shows? 

It’s a funny one, because probably, on paper, I should probably pick all the singles, but I certainly haven’t. That’s probably what most people do when they come into a new territory. But no, this is a set that we’ve done a couple of times on the festival run, and I’m really happy with the energy and the pace of it. There are a couple of ballads, but most of it is keeping the energy and matching the fans’ energy in the room. So I’m quietly confident that we might have a great night tonight. 

One of the things that’s happened in India in recent times is that more pop groups are being started again. There’s been a big talent hunt that’s going to start. What would be your advice to musicians who want to go into that? 

I would say, don’t let anybody tell you what they think you should be. I mean that especially in that kind of environment. I can remember being in that situation as a young lad. I didn’t have any experience. I was surrounded by these incredible CVs and everyone’s always willing to tell you about their experience, but truthfully, in reflection, nobody knows better than yourself in that situation. It’s also what people are looking for the most. That’s where artistry comes from, where people are willing to be opinionated and willing to kind of say no at the right times. And it’s not to be a dick, but actually just to cover yourself. I think that’s really important. If you feel in your gut that it’s not right for you, then just say no.

Lastly, a message for your fans in India. 

I don’t even have enough words, man. Thank you so much for all the support all over the years. I’ve felt it for a very, very long time, and I’ve got 60 minutes tonight to give you the best thank you possible. And then hopefully, if—actually, when—we have a great show, I can come back on my own. I’d love that. Thank you to everyone. 

Louis Tomlinson performed at Lollapalooza India, produced and promoted by BookMyShow Live.