#audacy

Mike A: Today, man, what is one One Direction song that you didn’t necessarily like when you dropped it, but now you look back on it with fond memories? 

Louis: That’s a good question. I still don’t like the lead single, What Makes You Beautiful, honestly.

Mike A: Really!

Louis: Yeah, yeah.

Mike A: Oh my gosh!

Louis: I think, actually, the first couple of records, the first couple of albums, at the time, I wasn’t in love with them. Now, when I listen back, there’s definitely a lot of nostalgia there. But What Makes You Beautiful, I don’t think I’ll ever get around to that, to be honest. 

Mike A: Skip, skip, skip! I just thought about this, actually and I don’t know whether you’ve ever talked about this. Are there any unreleased One Direction songs? 

Louis: There’s loads. There’s a couple that got leaked, over the years, maybe like three or four. But there’s loads.

Mike A: Would those ever come out? 

Louis: I don’t think so. I’m kind of funny about that, especially when they leak. There’s often a reason that they’ve not made the record, and there’s often been a creative choice. The songs were probably not good enough to make the record at the time. Probably still good songs, but there are probably, like, 50 or 60 songs like that out there. 

audacy @louist91 shares the @onedirection song he doesn’t like and speaks on unreleased tracks from the band! 👀

Who was first to hear Lemonade? I don’t know, probably my best mate or my girlfriend I’m imagine, but to be honest, I like to keep things… maybe version four or five they can hear. I like to keep it to a certain place, and then, you know. Then it’s ready.

Does writing ever feel like a chore? I only ever write with other people, so it’s based on the energy in the room, and the atmosphere. There’s definitely — not with this record— but there’s definitely been times in the past where it can feel like work. That’s why being in Costa Rica was so great. To create, you need that space in your brain. If you ever get into that situation, we are writing can be frustrating, or anything creative like that, I think it’s probably an indication that you need more space. In your brain, you’ve got too much going on. You need to let life in.

Have you found a hobby that brings you pure joy?: I’m not a great guitar player but I love sitting with my guitar, I’d said that that’s the closest I can get to meditation. It feels really free, it’s nice. […] I thought about bringing it to stage and stuff, but to be honest, there’s already a lot to fucking deal with, man! There’s lot of pressure, I kind like having it just for me. It’s nice.

-Louis on how many unreleased One Direction songs exist. (8 October 2025)

-Louis on if the unreleased One Direction songs will ever make the light of day officially. (8 October 2025)