Louis Tomlinson Unveils One of His ‘Favourite Songs’ From Upcoming Album: Stream ‘Palaces’ Now

In October, Billboard gave Louis Tomlinson a new nickname: “King Lou,” inspired by his Beyoncé-reminiscent song title, “Lemonade.” Now, the former One Direction band member is living up to that royal moniker by sharing a track called “Palaces.”

Arriving Friday (Nov. 14), “Palaces” finds Tomlinson bringing the energy on a sweet song about wanting to block out the rest of the world and hide out forever with his love interest. His voice soaring over sunny guitar and pummeling drums, he sings, “I’m lost in the time, I don’t care for the world outside/ You can stay for the night in the palaces of my mind.”

On the day “Palaces” dropped, Tomlinson wrote on social media that it’s been “one of my favourite songs on the record since writing it.”

“Thank you for all the support so far,” he added in his post. “Too excited for next year!”

The star’s new song comes ahead of his upcoming album, How Did I Get Here?, which is set to drop Jan. 23. So far, “Palaces” and “Lemonade” are the only tracks he’s shared of the 12 on the LP, with the latter finding Tomlinson crooning about a lover who’s both “bitter” and “sweet.”

Tomlinson hasn’t released an album since 2022’s Faith in the Future, which debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. In addition to being his first full-length in three years, How Did I Get Here? will also mark the first album he’s dropped since losing his friend and former bandmate, Liam Payne, who died in 2024 after suffering a fall from the fourth-floor balcony of his hotel room in Argentina.

“There’s still a level in my head [where it feels] unjust and frustrating that he’s not with us anymore,” Tomlinson recently told Rolling Stone UK of Payne. “Naively, I thought that because at this point, I’m relatively well versed in grief for my age, that it might soften the blow. [That was] super-naive. It’s very different. I’ve never lost a friend before.”

Listen to Tomlinson’s new song, “Palaces,” below.