Louis Tomlinson’s second solo album, “Faith in the Future” (FITF), was released on November 11th, 2022, the same day Bruce Springsteen released his 21st studio album, “Only the Strong Survive.” By midweek, the two albums’ sales were head-to-head in the U.K. as reported by The Official Charts. According to Billboard.com, only 1,200 chart sales separated the two albums from claiming the number one spot in its first week.
Fans of Louis Tomlinson, especially Larries, are known for their dedication, loyalty, and creativity. Once the news broke of the close race between the artists, a number of Larries on Twitter started their own campaigns to purchase physical and digital copies of FITF for fans who couldn’t buy their own and to help boost Louis’ sales. Donations were offered to these users who, in turn, ordered copies for fans around the world.
I reached out to two Twitter users who coordinated mass-buys to learn their motivation and to get an idea of just how much impact their efforts may have had in Louis’ chart success.
California-based no stunts Larrie @Jessica8384ny spent about $50 of her own money and donated at least 12 hours of her time. Many others wanted to be involved and sent her donations via Paypal (full disclosure, this writer donated to her efforts). Incredibly, Jessica ended up purchasing 522 copies of Faith in the Future for anyone who asked and was willing to share their Louis Tomlinson store login information.
Jessica says she was not surprised that what started as a small act of kindness blew up on Twitter, “Louis Tomlinson brings the best out in people and we just want to show him he deserves success.” Indeed, Louis “the one in the back” Tomlinson deserves all of the recognition he has worked so hard for during his time in One Direction and as a solo artist.
Another group buy was organized by Mary, a Virginia-based Twitter user known as @FitzAndLarry. Mary helped purchase 37 copies so far totaling $1,217.98 USD. The majority of her purchases were physical albums and many orders were international. Copies were sent to Pakistan, India, South America, South Africa, and all across Europe. International shipping costs can be prohibitive and Mary says many recipients told her this will be the first Louis Tomlinson-related physical item they have ever owned. Mary says, “I just hope that when Louis sees this, he says, ‘I’m glad there are people who are helping those who can’t afford it, because I’ve been there.’”
The Official U.K. Albums Chart was published Friday, November 18th, and “Faith in the Future” officially became Louis Tomlinson’s first solo number one album.
*art by @jumbiart*
Louis told Official Charts, “I just want to say a massive, massive thank you for all the incredible support the fans have shown me in the last week and my whole career.”
After recently suffering a serious broken arm requiring surgery Louis has been spending more time than usual Tweeting on main. He made it clear he was aware and appreciative of the fans’ efforts.
Unfortunately, there are risks that come with acts of such generosity; @Jessica8384ny was impersonated twice by accounts trying to scam people into making donations. While the majority of fans have good intentions, always proceed with caution when giving money to strangers on the Internet. Stick to helping accounts you’re familiar with or those with whom you share mutuals. Jessica and Mary were kind enough to share a lot about their experience; you can read my full Q&A with @Jessica8384ny here and @FitzAndLarry here.
