Louis Tomlinson is desperate to remain true to his roots.
The One Direction singer hails from the town of Doncaster in England and has revealed that despite his megastar status, he’s tried to remain close to his childhood friends and still values their advice.
Louis explained: "I always ask how would my friends from Doncaster – who know nothing about music and fashion – would interpret an outfit or a song or whatever. That has always really helped me.
"Because if you get to a stage where you disconnect from those friends from home, other people don’t really dare go there … You can surround yourself with super successful celebrities, but you can get swallowed up in the glitz and the glam of it all."
Louis, 25, is currently on the cusp of releasing new solo material – but has insisted he never wants to fall into a comfort zone with his music.
Speaking to Noisey, he shared: "In ten years’ time, the most important thing for me is that I’ll deliver a good album that people connect with, and then after that … who knows?
"I’ll set myself a new target. As soon as you start to feel comfortable, it’s a dangerous place to be in."
Louis recently teamed up with Bebe Rexha for his second single since One Direction went on hiatus and he has already teased details of the song.
He said: "I’m so excited to announce my single ‘Back To You’ with Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals is out on July 21st! With this song we wanted to write something a little less soppy.
"It’s about that one person that no matter how hard you try, you keep coming back to."