Louis Tomlinson has publicly discussed the December death of his mother, Johannah Deakin, for the first time in a new interview. The One Direction member also said that Johannah continued to urge him onward after she first received her cancer diagnosis.

In a conversation on SiriusXM's inaugural Hits 1 in Hollywood show, Tomlinson was asked how it was staying in the industry so shortly after his mother's December 7 passing. Louis debuted his first solo effort, "Just Hold On" with Steve Aoki, on the X Factor UK live finals just three days afterward on December 10.

"At first...it's not something that I feel 100% comfortable talking too much about, but just quickly, when I first found out about the news I kind of did want to throw the towel in," Tomlinson told SiriusXM. "But it was my mum who said to me that I've just got to keep going. She told me very sternly that she wanted me to."

"So I'm not doing it for her, but...we're doing it for each other," he added.

Of performing the aptly-titled "Just Hold On" so soon after, Tomlinson said, "It was tough, but I felt like it was nice for me to almost have a little send-off for her."

Johannah Deakin was only diagnosed with "a very aggressive form of leukemia" earlier in 2016, according to the statement from Deakin's husband. She was 42 years old.

In happier news, Louis also confirmed the much-improved relations between One Direction's members and Zayn, who quit the group on March 25, 2015. Zayn was among those who shared their condolences after Tomlinson's mother's death.

About hearing Zayn's solo songs on the radio, Louis said, "It's a strange feeling but it’s nice…I think we've gotten to a point now, a lot of us have spoken recently — me and Zayn have spoken recently — gotten to a point now where we can just be happy for each other. And you know, things have happened in the past of course, and you know...yeah, it's great."

Louis also said Zayn's "Pillowtalk" is "an absolute smash and a great song."

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