In 2018, Louis Tomlinson had everyone fall in love with him as a new judge on the X Factor and has been busy making new music. We’re taking a look back at some of the highlights of Louis’ 2018.
Helping Rylee Sanford
It’s no secret that Louis Tomlinson’s heart is made of gold. He’s known for being selfless and giving, and he never expects anything in return.
At the beginning of the year, Louis donated $10.000 to then 9-year-old Rylee Sanford, who has a very rare brain malformation called bilateral close-lipped schizencephaly, which ultimately causes her to have cerebral palsy. The generous donation went to making sure Rylee can get around comfortably and making necessary adjustments to the home and aiding in her ability to get a wheelchair that will allow her to get around safely.
On Louis’ birthday, Rylee’s sister, Makayley, thanked him for everything he’s done for her sister and their family in an emotional tweet.
You can help Rylee’s family by donating to their fundraiser here. They are currently in the process of looking for a van to convert to accommodate Rylee. Every single donation, no matter the size, helps.
#OperationMissYou
Louis Tomlinson’s loyal fans are known for taking music promotion into their own hands. This year they did it by creating #OperationMissYou to promote Louis’ single ‘Miss You’, which was released last December. The single received praise from both critics and fans, however, fans were disappointed how little it was promoted in the US. In order to promote the song, fans contacted radio DJs with the goal of increasing radio play. In addition to this, they also planned promotional activities, including themed days devoted to watching, streaming, requesting, and voting for “Miss You,” which culminated in a Thunderclap on February 9.
The NHS Heroes Awards
The NHS Heroes Awards celebrate the real-life heroes within the NHS and give an insight into some of the incredible, life-saving and vital work that NHS staff do in Britain every day.
In 2018, Louis attended the first-ever NHS Heroes Awards to honour Freya Lewis, who tragically lost her best friend Nell Andrews in the terror attack at Manchester Arena in 2017. In spite of suffering serious injuries herself, Freya has raised £40,000 for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and the incredible medics in the unit who saved her life.
Presenting Freya with the Young Fundraiser Award, Louis said: “I just wanna say…I think you are absolutely incredible, honestly. The VT was really really moving, but I think what’s remarkable at such young age is your strength. And, you know, to go through such tragedy and to raise that amount of money it’s amazing. So, you really touched me with that story and yeah, I just wanna give you another hug.”
Teen Choice Awards
Although he hasn’t released his debut album yet, Louis still won the Teen Choice Award for Choice Male Artist. Winning the award over Niall Horan, Bruno Mars, Drake, Ed Sheeran, and Shawn Mendes proves that although he hasn’t released his album, his fans believe in him and his music. It’s doesn’t matter if we have to wait another month or six, we know that Louis’ album will be perfect and so very him – it’ll be worth it.
Louis has a special and close bond with his fans so it was natural for him to thank them in his acceptance speech. He said, “My fans are the best fans in the world. They’re the most important people in this whole project and I cannot thank you enough. You are the reason I do what I do. This one’s for you, thank you.”
Gogglebox and Stand Up To Cancer
As a part of this year’s Stand Up To Cancer fundraiser, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne reunited to take part in a special celebrity version of Gogglebox. Announcing the event, Liam posted a picture of him and Louis, saying it is “for a cause that’s close to our hearts”. Louis’ mum Johannah Deakin tragically passed away from leukaemia in December 2016 at the age of 43.
The reunion was everything we needed. While raising money for an incredible and important cause, we got to witness Louis and Liam’s special friendship in a casual setting.
The X Factor
It’s no secret that people around Louis have hoped he would get the opportunity to become a judge on the X Factor. This year he went back to the show, where he found fame in 2010. It quickly became obvious that Louis wasn’t planning on just being a judge on camera – he committed himself 100% to his contestants and it showed. His artist Dalton Harris revealed that Louis would work with them for “hours and hours”. He also said, “He doesn’t go out of the room when we cut he’s always there in the backyard.” Louis’ other artist Anthony Russel said: “I would be dead now if it was not for him.” Last year when Anthony had to pull out of X Factor due to his drug addiction, Louis reached out to him. Although Louis didn’t know him at the time, he was worried about him and offered to help him to get better. Louis paid for Anthony’s rehab and gave him the opportunity he needed to get help and make his life healthy again. Today he describes Louis like a “proper brother to him”, and said: “I’m always going to be a recovering addict. Since rehab Louis has called me. He proper cares. I need to make him proud.”
Louis made sure to give his contestants the best possible start in the industry by supporting them both professionally and personally. When the finale came around Louis’ acts made up 2/3 of it, and he ultimately won with Dalton Harris.
The Daniel Barnett Arts Foundation
Last month, Louis, Simon Cowell and several X Factor contestants welcomed people helped by the Daniel Barnett Arts Foundation, which aims to “raise money in order to inspire individuals to be creative by providing workshops, fundraising events and support to people who may need help due to an illness or challenge in their life.” The charity was founded by Diane Barnett after her son Daniel was diagnosed with cancer, Ewing Sarcoma at the age of 14.
Angela Suphanit, the Treasurer for The Daniel Barnett Arts Foundation, shared a tweet about her daughter Jenni meeting Louis. “He was so friendly and made us feel so welcomed. She got a great big hug off him.”
The CelebMix Awards
At the CelebMix Awards 2018,
Louis won
the award for Biggest Inspiration. When you look at everything he’s done this
year, this award doesn’t come as a surprise. Louis continues to make this world
a better place by spreading joy, kindness, and generosity – it’s no wonder that
his fans count him as their biggest inspiration. We asked our followers on Twitter to
name one thing they love about Louis, and the answers speak for themselves.