Louis Tomlinson pays heartfelt tribute to Liam Payne on 1D's 16th anniversary
- By Sarah Brohi -
- Jul 24, 2026
Louis Tomlinson celebrated One Direction’s 16th anniversary. He revisited the band’s catalogue and also reposted personal memories behind some of the best-known songs.
Taking to his Instagram handle, Tomlinson posted stories of tracks from the known group’s album along side with their music and moments associated with them.
Among the songs he highlighted was “Moments”, which he said was the first time he felt “really proud” of his own vocal performance on a One Direction track. Tomlinson also paid tribute to the late Liam Payne while discussing “More Than This”, writing, “Pretty sure this was when Liam first discovered his falsetto, I remember how proud we all were. He sounds incredible!”
He wrote in his story, “Live While We’re Young”, he further mentioned, “not my fav but huge pop song” while recalling the experience of filming its music video. He described “Midnight Memories” as one of his “top 3” One Direction songs and said hearing the chorus of “Strong” for the first time remained a special memory.
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Several songs reminded him of his former bandmates. He referred to “Don’t Forget Where You Belong” as “Niall’s tune”, said “Over Again” always makes him think of Niall Horan, and praised Payne’s “breakdown chorus” on “Through the Dark”. Reflecting on “18”, Tomlinson revealed it was one of his mother’s favourite songs because she had him at the age of 18.
Playing the whole discography top to bottom! Proper trip down memory lane. Some shockers on this first record hahaha
— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) July 23, 2026
He also called “Steal My Girl” “one of my favourite singles” and said “Long Way Down” made him “so incredibly proud of where we ended up”. He added, “P.s I’m listening top to bottom but not putting every song on my story.”
Tomlinson also reflected on the band’s career on X, thanking fans for “changing all our lives” and honouring Payne, who passed away in October 2024. One Direction was a globally famous pop boy band formed in 2010 on The X Factor, consisting of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik.
Over a 5-year active run, they became one of the best-selling groups in history before going on an indefinite hiatus in 2016 to pursue solo careers.
16 fucking years of One Direction!!! Blows my mind. Thank you for changing all our lives and the love and passion you all still show is unmatched! Tonight’s going to be a special show.
Spending the rest of the day listening to all the bangers and reminiscing! Thank you for all…
— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) July 23, 2026