Louis William Tomlinson (/ˈluːi ˈtɒmlɪnsən/; born Louis Troy Austin; 24 December 1991) is an English singer and songwriter. He rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction. He began his career appearing in television dramas before he auditioned on the British music competition series The X Factor In 2010. After being eliminated as a solo performer, he was put into a group with four other contestants, forming One Direction, which went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.