Louis Tomlinson - Two of Us

What this video is

Released 7 March 2019 as Louis Tomlinson's first single on Arista Records and the lead single from his debut album 'Walls' (2020), 'Two of Us' marks a definitive solo artistic statement following One Direction's 2016 hiatus. The song is a direct elegy for Tomlinson's mother, Johannah Deakin, who died of leukemia in December 2016 aged 43. The video's black-and-white palette and performance-focused visual grammar…

Why it matters

Represents a pivotal document of the late-2010s UK pop moment in which boyband alumni (Tomlinson, Styles, Malik et al.) pursued distinct solo identities through genre diversification and confessional lyricism. 'Two of Us' and its video consolidate a stripped-back, emotionally literate strand of…

The director

Emmy-nominated, Bahraini-born London-based director and writer. Began career directing shows at MTV in the early 2000s. Since 2004 has directed music videos and commercials for artists including Arctic Monkeys ('I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor',…