Inspired by One Direction, Simon Cowell is now going on the hunt for a new boyband in his upcoming show The Midas Touch
Media mogul Simon Cowell says his up-coming project is “one of the scariest” things he has done to date.
The 64-year-old has just begun auditions for The Midas Touch, a new project looking to find members of a boyband. It aims to replicate some of Simon’s early successes with The X Factor, which helped catapult One Direction to global stardom.
Now, 14 years since Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, and Zayn Malik were put together for the hit show, Simon fears social media could have created a different landscape for up-and-coming musicians. Filming for The Midas Touch, which has already been picked up by Netflix, is said to have hit snags early doors with the first two rounds of auditions in Gateshead postponed.
And, sources say the initial auditions in Liverpool were only attended by a handful of lads. According to The Sun, no more than 40 people were ever queuing at once, a far cry from the snaking lines of The X Factor’s heyday.
Speaking to Hello!, Simon had previously confessed launching his new project was “one of the scariest things I’ve ever done because I have no safety net.” He added: “I used to do this 25 years ago, before social media, so now, everyone is in their bedrooms. Are they going to audition? I hope so.”
The world of music now looks different to when Simon first launched the X Factor, with popstars like Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter now dominating the charts. Simon though believes there is still a place for the boyband in the modern market. He continued: “I’ve always believed everything is cyclical. If One Direction formed tomorrow and put their first single out now, I honestly think it would be more successful.”
Simon says he is still in contact with some of the band, revealing Harry Styles reached out to him after his appearance on the Diary of a CEO podcast with Steven Bartlett. It was One Direction that Simon touts as one of the “biggest regrets” of his career, because the former bandmates retained the rights to the name.
Directioners and other X Factor die-hards tuning in to The Midas Touch are said to be in for a surprise, with TV insiders revealing there will be a more stripped-down set. One said: “These auditions will not look like The X Factor in the slightest – no shiny desks, big productions or celebrity guests. It will be incredibly stripped back.
“Simon has amassed a team of real experts – songwriters, producers and A&R people – who he really trusts. Together they’ll be chatting to the talent and trying to work out who should go through.”
Simon has also admitted there would be no record deal built into the show. This means the winners would need to rely on their own star power to grab a record label’s interest on their own.
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