Louis Tomlinson Is 'So Nervous' in Never-Before-Seen 'X Factor' Footage

Twelve years after Simon Cowell made the fateful decision to bring together a group of X Factor hopefuls, officially forming One Direction, more never-before-seen footage from the boys' original auditions has been released. This time, it's Louis Tomlinson's turn to face the music. In the new edit, his nervousness is palpable. Prior to this footage, all fans had never seen Tomlinson's audition, it was a video of him singing a short snippet of Plain White T's "Hey There Delilah". But this clip shows that he originally started out with a different song and - like some of his future bandmates - was asked to change it halfway through.

“I love to sing, and it means so much to me — I just want to give my best,” an anxious 18-year-old Tomlinson told judges Cowell, Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger in the video. He names James Morrison as one of his musical inspirations, then begins his audition with the Scouting for Girls song "Elvis Ain't Dead," playing the first chorus before Cowell stops him and asks, "What other songs? "

This is when Tomlinson picks up "Hey There Delilah," which Cowell calls "a much better song" with a shrug. "I know, but I'm so nervous," Tomlinson replies.

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"Look, you know what? You're actually doing great, that's why we asked you to do a second song, right? So it's a better song for you", Cowell told the singer.

That seems like the encouragement Tomlinson needs, and he takes off with the audition most directors already know. But after finishing his second song, he still doesn't seem too enthused about his own performance, asking the judges to "please give me a chance".

In the final moments of the clip, Scherzinger gives Tomlinson a big thumbs up and says he looks a bit defeated. "I can do so much better than that, honestly," he tells her, prompting Scherzinger to explain what she sees in him. "Honestly, Louis, I really believe you when you sing, and I think you have an incredible connection to music. So I just want you to stay here and sing for us. But you know, I'm really happy to 'to have been able to hear that second song because I really like you,' the former Pussycat Doll explains.

In the end, Tomlinson succeeds with three yeses, with Cowell and Walsh noting his originality, style and likability. Although he was eventually eliminated from the competition series as a solo artist, he later returned as part of One Direction and continued to...