Later this week Far Out Magazine will run an exclusive interview with Louis Tomlinson in which he discusses all things from his upcoming album Walls, to why he now feels comfortable with life as a solo artist and his honest thoughts about the split of his former band One Direction.

In the coming days, Far Out will be releasing previews of the upcoming interview starting today where we take a look at the music that has shaped the former One Direction member and where he now takes influence from—which may not be the sort of artists you would usually associate for a musician who started life in a boyband.

Our conversation briefly discusses his former bandmate Harry Styles, a member of One Direction who has found his new path with prolific style. In fact, the same can be said for all the former members of the band, Liam Payne following a more hip-hop led pop style, Niall took a folk rock approach, while Zayn Malik delivered a sultry R’n’B sound. Louis is similarly looking to take a new direction with his upcoming record.

During our conversation, the way in which Tomlinson speaks with such passion and admiration for the artists who influenced him becomes undeniably clear, leaning forward from the sofa where we sit with a renewed vigour and excitement. Without having a second to think about my question, he bursts straight into praise for the Gallagher brothers like a giddy fan, saying: “An obvious one is Oasis, gotta be for me the best band,” he exclusively told Far Out when I asked about musicians who have helped shape his creative vision. “Lyrically I’d say that I take influences from Alex Turner, the way that you know it’s like poetry. The way it’s done with the words that he uses, the language he uses,” he added. “It’s really clever and interesting so I definitely take reference from him.”

While we discuss Tomlinson’s view on music, it becomes distinctly clear that what he is looking is quality lyricism, an added dimension to his work that comes from the heart. “I always talk about Amy Winehouse’s attention to detail. One of the things she’d do when she was writing, when something had happened that was poignant in her life that she thought she might want to write about at a later date, she would note it down—everything she could see, everyone she could smell, what she was wearing and all the little details that you’d forget. Mike Skinner is another one, I only found him in later life. I knew a couple of Streets tunes when I was growing up, but my best mate fucking loves them and yet again, another incredible lyricist.”

All of these artists are from a golden era of British music which shaped the soundtrack to the formative years of musicians like Tomlinson up and down the country. Conscious of not including any newer artists so far in our conversation, the Doncaster native went more recent with his final pick, saying: “Who else? Let’s give a fifth one, I tell you what I don’t love a lot of new stuff at the moment, but I think Sam Fender delivered an incredible first album as first album’s go I think it’s bulletproof lyrically.”

Adding with a wry smile: “One day, I’m gonna stop bigging him up in every interview as I come across like a proper nerd but I just think he’s mint, people like him are important for English music right now.”

Come back to Far Out later this week to find out how Louis reacted to the indefinite hiatus of One Direction and the full feature on Friday.

This post was updated on 26th November 6:30pm