Louis Tomlinson used to feel under pressure to match the success of his One Direction bandmates.
The 28-year-old star previously felt the need to compare his solo career to those of Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik – but he’s now more philosophical about the situation.
Louis – whose debut solo album, ‘Walls’, is released later this month – told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: "I used to feel more pressure about matching up to anything any of the others do, but the reality is we have different skill sets and different fans.
"Harry’s a star, there’s no two ways about it. I’m much more reserved. If I carry myself in a slightly different way, I might be able to get a different market but it’s all about staying true to you and that’s what we’re all doing."
Louis remains in contact with his One Direction bandmates.
And even though he’s developed his own sound and style, he respects what each of them are trying to achieve as solo artists.
The singer – who joined One Direction in 2010, after auditioning as a solo artist on ‘The X Factor’ in the UK – shared: "I spoke to Liam a couple of days ago but haven’t spoken to Niall in a couple of months.
"Me and Harry don’t speak quite as much but he sent me a text about the single and I sent him one about his, and there’s a mutual respect there, definitely."