Full Circle: One Direction's Louis Tomlinson Announced as New X Factor Judge

He was a contestant on the show in 2010.

One Direction fan-favorite Louis Tomlinson was announced as a judge for season 15 of X Factor, joining Robbie Williams, Ayda Field, and Simon Cowell, according to a report in The Sun.

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Tomlinson’s career move marks as a full circle moment for fans: the singer, who has writing credits on 37 One Direction songs, auditioned for the reality competition show in 2010 as a solo artist. Cowell later formed the five-member boy band group on X Factor with solo acts Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Zayn Malik.

This isn’t Tomlinson’s first jump into judging singing competitions. The star served as a guest judge on X Factor in 2015 and America’s Got Talent in 2016.

Tomlinson’s friend and bandmate Niall Horan showed support for Tomlinson’s new gig on twitter. “Absolutely delighted for ya @Louis_Tomlinson. Going back home to @TheXFactor but as a judge this Time. Huge news!! @SimonCowell”

Absolutely delighted for ya @Louis_Tomlinson . Going back home to @TheXFactor but as a judge this Time . Huge news!! @SimonCowell — Niall Horan (@NiallOfficial) July 17, 2018

For fans worried about Tomlinson’s yet-to-be-released solo debut album, he assures everyone that music isn’t taking a backseat. He tweeted today about the news: “Gonna do a little video message tonight to talk about everything. Music always my priority obviously! Love you all.”