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Simon Cowell scolded Louis Tomlinson for drinking before One Direction gig

Written by . Published: August 14 2017

Louis Tomlinson had to quit drinking to calm his nerves before One Direction's early concerts after receiving a scolding from label boss Simon Cowell.


The pop star, who hails from Doncaster, England, shot to fame as part of the Story of My Life hitmakers after Cowell put the aspiring singers together on his U.K. talent show The X Factor in 2010.

Louis reveals he used to indulge in a little alcohol before hitting the stage with Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and then-bandmate Zayn Malik, but a stern talk from Simon prompted him to put a stop to the pre-show ritual before it could become a problem.

"One of the first few shows we did for One Direction - I was new to it, straight out of Doncaster," he recalled during a weekend (12-13Aug17) interview on Britain's BBC Radio 1. "I'd just started drinking and that kind of thing, so I had a drink before one of our first gigs. Obviously I was nervous as well but I thought, 'I'll just have a couple of beers.'"

Cowell found out about his light boozing and flew Louis out to his home in Los Angeles to issue a word of warning to the young star.

"I woke up to a text to find out that I was going to L.A. the next morning," Louis shared. "I was just sat on this plane thinking, 'What is coming next?' and I landed at Simon's and he gave me a little dressing down (scolding)."

"It was positive (his overall feedback), but he gave me a little dressing down (about drinking) and that certainly felt like the scary Simon that you see on TV.

"He gave me the dressing down for maybe the first five, 10 minutes and then we actually had a proper chat."

Louis has since signed to Simon's Syco Records as a solo artist as One Direction enjoy an extended hiatus, and the 25-year-old is grateful to have the music mogul as his friend and mentor.

"Honestly, if I hadn't have had that chat with Simon then I don't think we'd be as close as we are now," he said. "I do really feel like he's got my back. It (the candid talk) was vital for me as an individual and also our relationship."

Louis is now gearing up to release his debut solo album following the success of his Just Hold On single with DJ Steve Aoki and his new track, Back to You, with Bebe Rexha.

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