July 8th 2024.
Simon Cowell is currently on the search for the next big boyband that could follow in the footsteps of the ever-popular One Direction. However, reports suggest that the process has had a slow start. The whole experience is being documented for a new show, supposedly titled "The Midas Touch," which has been sold to Netflix by the production group Box To Box. The show's name is inspired by the Greek myth of King Midas, who was able to turn everything he touched into gold.
To attract potential popstars to showcase their talent, Simon has even gone as far as putting up billboards with his face and the words "Simon Needs You. Future megastars wanted for new boyband. No timewasters." Interested individuals are encouraged to visit his website, appropriately named "Simon Needs You," with the homepage asking, "ARE YOU AGED AROUND 16-18 AND A GLOBAL SUPERSTAR IN THE MAKING? Define 'around' Simon..."
At the age of 64, Simon is used to seeing large crowds of people eager to impress him on his previous singing contest, The X Factor, which ran from 2004 to 2018. However, despite the size of his posters, it seems that only a small number of men showed up to the weekend's auditions in Liverpool. In a photo obtained by The Sun, it is clear that there were only a few people queuing, although the venue was prepared for a much larger crowd with multiple railings set up to control the situation.
According to a source, "They started arriving slowly from about 9am on Saturday but the biggest number in the queue never amounted to more than about 40. By early afternoon, the number arriving had virtually dried up, and it was the same story on the Sunday audition. The amount of railings they put up suggested they were expecting hundreds or thousands of people to arrive and pack out the queues, but they had a fraction of those kinds of numbers."
However, the search is not over yet. Auditions are scheduled for Dublin later this month, and three more will take place in London in August. Simon's team has also been scouting potential stars and inviting them to a planned event. The reason for Simon's passionate pursuit of this path is his belief that there hasn't been a successful boyband since One Direction. However, some may argue with this statement, as groups like BTS and Seventeen from South Korea have achieved great success in the music industry.
Simon explained his motivation in an interview with Daily Mail, saying, "Right now, record labels aren't signing enough new talent. So the amount of UK artists who are breaking worldwide has literally fallen off a cliff because I think there is too much competition online. People don't knock on your door saying, 'I've got a new band.' It doesn't happen. You've got to go out there yourself and do it. So that's what we are doing."
Simon is not the only one on the hunt for the next big boyband, as his former The X Factor co-star Nicole Scherzinger has reportedly signed up for a rival show. The Agency has reached out to Netflix and Simon Cowell's representatives for comment.
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