The One Direction star performed his new single 'Just Hold On’, alongside his collaborator Steve Aoki, on The X Factor show on Saturday night. It includes the haunting lyrics, “It’s not over until your dying breath.”
After receiving a thunderous applause from the studio audience, Simon Cowell told the singer: “What you've just done... the bravery... I respect you as an artist and I respect you as a person.
“Your mum was so proud of you, Louis. She was so looking forward to tonight. She's watching down on you now and you've done her proud.”
Louis Tomlinson later said that his mother, Johannah Deakin, who died at just 43-year-old last week, would’ve wanted him to go on with the show.
“That was harder than I ever imagined. I want to thank everyone around me and all of the amazing fans out there that made that so special,” the 24-year-old star tweeted after the show on Saturday night.
Her husband Dan Deakin paid a moving tribute to his late wife, describing her as ”incredibly selfless” and a “truly amazing mother.”
He added, “She would always look to put other people before herself. She desired nothing more than for everyone around her to be happy and loving. She worked tirelessly on numerous charity campaigns, creating memories for many individuals and their families.”
Here’s Louis Tomlinson performing his new single last Saturday night on The X Factor: