Simon Cowell is looking for the next One Direction
The industry veteran will host open call auditions across the UK next month and might be capturing his search in an upcoming documentary series
By Larisha Paul
When One Direction formed on The X Factor UK in 2010, it was like capturing a million different rare occurrences at once — lightning in a bottle, a total solar eclipse, shooting stars, volcanic eruptions, winning the lottery, all of it. Simon Cowell looked at his creation — though it was actually Nicole Scherzinger who had a large hand in assembling them — with stars and dollar signs in his eyes. Nearly 14 years after they came together and nine since they last released music as a group, Cowell is kicking off an official search for the next One Direction.
“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. The industry tends to focus on solo artists – so it usually takes someone from outside to put a group together,” Cowell shared in a statement announcing plans to host open call auditions across the UK to find young hopefuls willing to go through the boy band boot camp process.
Cowell’s journey toward creating another pop-dominating band will be captured for a “potential documentary series,” set to be produced with Box to Box Films. The documentary production company is best known for its work on Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive series. A streaming service has not yet been attached to Cowell’s project. Netflix recently announced the new reality series Building the Band, which will bring members of a new band together on the whims of chemistry without them ever meeting each other.
Auditions for the new band will begin next month in Newcastle, Dublin, Liverpool, and London. Beyond One Direction, Cowell has had a hand in the formation of the successful girl groups Little Mix and Fifth Harmony and the less successful boy bands CNCO and PrettyMuch, both of which have since disbanded. Still, the industry veteran isn’t looking at his past track record as a guarantee for success with the act he’s searching for now.
“There’s always a high degree of risk, and I genuinely have no idea what’s going to happen! We might uncover an incredible group; we might not get there,” he shared. “What if no one shows up to auditions? That could be awkward. There is no guaranteed path to success – anything can happen, but that’s what’s exciting for me, and that’s why I’m doing this.”