Louis Tomlinson says he felt like "throwing in the towel" after his mum died.Louis Tomlinson says he felt like "throwing in the towel" after his mum died.
It's the first time the singer has spoken publicly about Johannah Deakin since she passed away from leukaemia in December.
"It was my mum who said to me that I've just got to keep going," he says in the interview with US station SiriusXM.
The former One Direction star was promoting his new single with DJ Steve Aoki.
"It's not something that I feel 100% comfortable talking too much about but just quickly, when I first found out the news I kind of did want to throw the towel in," he tells hosts Michael Yo, Tony Fly and Symon.
"But it was my mum who said to me that I've just got to keep going, telling me very sternly that she wanted me to," he says.
Johannah died on 7 December , aged 43.
She had been suffering with the aggressive form of blood cancer since May.
Louis dedicated his performance on the X Factor final last month to her.
He said Johannah, who was a midwife, would have been proud to see him perform his single, Just Hold On.
"It was tough, but I felt like it was nice for me to almost have a little send off for her," he says in the radio interview.