The One Direction fandom is always in motion and always finding ways to show their support, love, and admiration for Louis, Harry, Liam, and Niall. There are many fans who use their talent to reach out to the lads of One Direction to show them how thankful they are to have been found in this fandom, to feel safe here, to have been saved.
Sandra Hunter @ilylouis is one of those fans and she wrote a beautiful song for Louis Tomlinson called Hero.
We wanted to chat with Sandra and ask about why this song was so important for her to write and why it’s so important to her that Louis hears it.
First we asked Sandra to tell us a little bit about herself and her story (although painful at times) reminded us all a little bit of ourselves, and we’re sure you’ll find yourself in Sandra’s story too.
Sandra found out about one direction back in November of 2011 through a friend and says she immediately liked them and began to google information about them; at first it was just something she liked and then they gradually started becoming a large part of her life.
Sandra struggled with self esteem issues, and states that she still does – she used to self harm but she credits One Direction, specifically Louis, for helping her find the strength to get through it. She said “I don’t really know what it was but listening to his voice, seeing a picture of him smiling was enough to make me feel so much better, like his voice makes me SO happy!”
Sandra, like many fans, feels hurt when she sees Louis’ voice get harsh reviews and that was the main inspiration for the song – she wanted to let him know how much he meant to her, how much he helped her, and how important his voice was to her life. At first she tried to write him a letter but it didn’t feel right so she started writing a song and from there her story, inspiration, and talent grew. Sandra continues to say “Honestly I had no idea the song would reach so many people, I never thought so many 1d fans would relate to it and like it so much; it has over 30,000 plays on youtube and the tweet has 12,500 rts!”
We asked Sandra a few questions so fans of One Direction, and hopefully Louis, could get to know her a little bit better.
How old are you and where are you from?
I’m 21 years old and I’m from Barcelona, Spain.
When did you start writing/singing?
I”ve always felt a passion for singing but I didn’t start writing songs until I was about 16, even though Hero is the first one I recorded (the songs I wrote at 16 will never see the light of day lol)
Is it something you want to do for fun or would you like to turn it into a career?
I have wanted to be a singer since I was 7 years old, I’m working hard so someday it’ll hopefully be my career.
What’s the best thing, in your opinion, that you’ve written so far?
I’m so emotionally attached to Hero but if I’m honest I think the best I’ve written so far is a song called Cursed Youth, which was mainly inspired by the One Direction fandom, and I’m planning on making it my first “official” single.
Do you have any advice or words of wisdom for anyone who may be considering the same thing but don’t feel brave enough?
Many people know this already but I’m REALLY insecure about my voice (I’ve never really liked it), singing is very important to me and I was so scared at first but the feedback I recieved was astonishing and unexpected.
I don’t think I’m big enough to give advice but I think sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone can get you far, and it can help you grow as a person.
There’s been a mission from One Direction fans to get this song to Louis, especially after the rough 2015 he’s had, especially towards the end. When fans see any of the boys struggling they try their hardest to make them happy, the same way the boys have made the fans happy on their darkest days too.
Sandra recently released a making of Hero video on her youtube channel and it describes the process to how Hero was born as well as letting you into her life a little bit – it’s totally sweet and made us tear up a bit.
If you fell in love with Hero like we did you can get it on iTunes, listen to it on spotify, and watch the video above on her channel.
Thank you Sandra, for your bravery, your talent, and your sweet message to Louis Tomlinson – we’re sure he loves it just as much as we all do!