Simon Cowell is looking to find the next English-singing boyband to replicate the success of One Direction, stating that “every generation deserves a megastar boyband.”
In a new presentation in London reported by The Guardian, Cowell said he doesn’t believe there’s been a boyband that’s held the success of One Direction “in over 14 years” – perhaps only referencing English-singing bands, as boybands have been led by the booming K-pop scene with stars including BTS, ATEEZ, Enhypen, and Tomorrow x Together over the last few years.
“Every generation deserves a megastar boyband, and I don’t think there has been one to have the success of One Direction in over 14 years,” he said of the X Factor-discovered group.
Cowell explained, “The industry tends to focus on solo artists – so it usually takes someone from outside to put a group together. Nothing beats the fun of being in a group, touring the world and performing for thousands.”
Cowell admitted that his new boyband-seeking venture involves a “high degree of risk” as British boybands and girl groups have struggled to find fame since Little Mix went on hiatus in 2022.
Auditions for Cowell’s new plan to find the next big English boyband are going ahead in Newcastle, UK, on Thursday, 4 July. Next month, more auditions will be held in London, Liverpool, and Dublin. You can find more details on how the audition process will go here.
The Guardian also noted that Cowell pre-empted criticism of the viability of boybands, stating that “It’s also a brilliant launchpad for a solo career,” referring to the successful solo careers of One Direction members Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn, and Liam Payne.
This isn’t Cowell’s only recent idea regarding the discovery of new talent.
In October 2022, Cowell joined forces with Universal Music, Republic Records, Samsung, and the prolific songwriter and producer Max Martin (Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Celine Dion, Ariana Grande) to launch a talent show on TikTok called StemDrop.
On StemDrop, people on TikTok will record their own music over a foundation laid by modern pop songwriting legends. Cowell and the record labels will search for what they like the most.
That’s when StemDrop becomes a talent show. Universal Music Group will look for the best talents to sign up for Republic Records on a social media platform with over a billion monthly users.
On the launch of StemDrop, Cowell said, “The premise was always very straightforward… ‘What would happen if the best songwriters in the world wrote a song for the world…….?’ We have no idea what’s going to happen.”
