Former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson released his highly-anticipated debut album Walls Friday. The 12-track effort sees a pivot away from radio-ready pop, opting to pull influences from rocked-out ’90s Britpop. To celebrate his release, Tomlinson stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform his record’s title track.
Tomlinson took the stage backed by a full band. With a robust string section and complimentary noisy guitar, Tomlinson grabbed the mic and crooned his emotional lyrics. “But these high walls, they came up short / Now I stand taller than them all / These high walls never broke my soul, and I / I watched them all come falling down,” he sings with soaring vocals.
Ahead of his performance, Tomlinson sat down with Fallon for a pre-show interview. The singer said his record was a full four years in the making. “It’s been four years in the making and what I was used to with One Direction was one album a year,” he said. “So I’ve had to be patient and sensible and understand the process. I think I’ve learned a lot along the way.”
But Tomlinson didn’t only discuss his record’s process, the singer also talked about the time he tried to become an actor in High School, securing the role of Danny Zuko in Grease. Fallon was even able to find a clip of the young singer on his school’s stage.
Watch Louis Tomlinson on The Tonight Show above.
Walls is out now via Simco/Sony. Get it here.
