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Simon Cowell Looks for UK’s Next Megastar Boy Band Again, Save the Show 

Simon Cowell Looks for UK’s Next Megastar Boy Band Again, Save the Show 
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Simon Cowell Looks for UK’s Next Megastar Boy Band Again, Save the Show 

Simon Cowell Looks for UK’s Next Megastar Boy Band Again, Save the Show 

Fourteen years after launching One Direction on "The X Factor", music mogul and television personality Simon Cowell is looking for the UK's next big boy band, embarking on a new project differing from the talent shows he is known for.

Cowell will hold auditions for 16-18 year-olds in Liverpool, Dublin and London over the summer in a bid to form megastars on levels not seen in Britain since the best-selling One Direction, who found fame on his televised singing competition "The X Factor" before parting ways several years later.

"Weirdly since One Direction, there hasn't been a successful UK band, which I don't understand why," Cowell told Reuters in an interview.

"As an entry point into the music business, it's by far the best route. Diana Ross became Diana Ross because she was in the Supremes. Beyonce became Beyonce 'cos she was in Destiny's Child."

Unlike "The X Factor", there will be no weekly televised shows or vote but a potential documentary series.

"As a viewer, I'd find it more interesting, particularly if I was a performer, I'd really want to see why people get chosen and what is the process you go through," Cowell said.

"In my opinion, that's never really been shown, certainly since I've been making these shows ... you see a side of it. I don't think you really see the interesting part ... the highs and lows. And trust me, there are a lot lows."

"The X Factor" last aired in Britain in 2018. Once hugely popular, it had seen ratings fall over the years.

"More people than you think watch these shows ... Now, of course, in different ways as well - on YouTube, TikTok," Cowell said. "I think they're still very popular."

He said talent shows had a purpose, helping new artists get noticed.

"Right now, with the amount of songs that are being uploaded every day and the amount of artists that are breaking globally ... I think it's something like two UK artists in seven years have broken globally ... which is horrendous.

"...A lot of these artists get their first break (on televised talent shows)... even their first audition if it goes out and goes viral, that is a step on the ladder."

In the last few years, K-pop bands such as BTS have become hit phenomena building global fan bases.

"K-pop filled a void," Cowell said. "So when I look at BTS filling out Wembley Stadium, you say, well, then of course there's still a market for bands, possibly bigger than ever."

Cowell, who said his ideal boy band are "people who know who they are", started his search earlier this month. Asked what response he had received so far, he said: "You really don't know until you turn up on the day ... If not enough people turn up or that I just don't think they're right, then we’re gonna have to keep going."

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Meghann Fahy and Eve Hewson's 'Overnight Success' is More than a Decade in the Making

Meghann Fahy, left, and Eve Hewson pose for a portrait to promote "The Perfect Couple" on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Meghann Fahy, left, and Eve Hewson pose for a portrait to promote "The Perfect Couple" on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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Meghann Fahy and Eve Hewson's 'Overnight Success' is More than a Decade in the Making

Meghann Fahy, left, and Eve Hewson pose for a portrait to promote "The Perfect Couple" on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Meghann Fahy, left, and Eve Hewson pose for a portrait to promote "The Perfect Couple" on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Meghann Fahy and Eve Hewson, two of the stars of Netflix's whodunit “The Perfect Couple,” have news for you if you want to call them breakouts: They've been working in this business for more than a decade.
Fahy made her TV debut in 2009 in an episode of “Gossip Girl.” Hewson's first big film role was in 2011's “This Must Be the Place.” They do concede, however, that it's recent TV roles — “The White Lotus” for Fahy and “Bad Sisters” for Hewson — that have led to new frontiers of opportunity, The Associated Press said.
Susanne Bier, who directed “The Perfect Couple,” says both Fahy and Hewson are “going to be big stars.”
“They certainly have proper, profound star quality, Both of them in very different ways,” Bier says. “Both are incredibly creative, incredibly smart, and also have a impressive insight as to who they are. You can be a great actor or actress and not necessarily really know who you are yourself. And they do.”
Hewson, 33, whose dad is U2 front man Bono, may have grown up in a famous family but she's now in demand in her own right. She will next be seen in a second season of “Bad Sisters, ” out in November. She's in Noah Baumbach's next film, alongside Adam Sandler, George Clooney and Riley Keough. She's also been cast in Steven Spielberg's next production and is set to star opposite Murray Bartlett in a racing series for Hulu.
Fahy, 34, is in production on a limited series with Julianne Moore and Milly Alcock called “Sirens,” written by Molly Smith Metzler (“Maid”) for Netflix. She also has two films in the can with Josh O'Connor (“The Crown,” “Challengers”) and Brandon Sklenar (“It Ends With Us”).
The two actors spoke candidly with The Associated Press about this phase of their careers. This interview has been condensed for clarity and brevity.
AP: You've both had popular, zeitgeisty TV shows in recent years. TV fans are particularly passionate. Have you experienced any interesting interactions with fans? HEWSON: It’s actually really fun to experience because even when we were in Cape Cod shooting “The Perfect Couple,” I would go to the local shop to get my groceries and little old ladies would follow me down the aisle and be like, “Excuse me. Are you that girl from that ‘Sisters’ show?” Who knew that they were watching it? It doesn’t change my life, so it doesn’t bother me, but when someone comes up to me and says that they love the show, especially when it’s someone unexpected, I’m like, “Oh, cool.”
FAHY: It’s not happening so much to me that it feels like a huge imposition or anything. I feel like I’ve been really lucky. A lot of the people that I’ve met who have been a fan of “The White Lotus,” or whatever, they’re really sweet people. And, I think, part of why we do this is because we want to tell stories that people can connect to and play out scenarios for themselves. So I think it’s always really nice.
AP: What's it like to now be a part of conversations about whom to watch? FAHY: Part of it feels really nice because you work really, really, really hard for a really long time — maybe that’s not how it happens for a lot of people — but I feel like we’ve both been doing this for a minute. So, of course, it feels really good. but I try not to like dwell on any of it. I try to acknowledge it and be like, “Oh, that’s so nice.” And then just kind of keep going.
HEWSON: You hear so many stories of people who were like, “I walked into my first audition and I just became a star.” Or, there’s this element of being an actor where people don’t want to tell you how hard they work. They want it to look like it’s really easy. But we've been doing this for a long time. People just don’t really tell those stories. It's usually about the one that was found on the street.
FAHY: Yeah. You took 15 years to become an overnight success.
AP: Do you notice you're now treated differently by people in the industry? FAHY: Yeah, but I always think that nobody ever knows who I am. It’s always very embarrassing. I embarrass myself in those moments. I don’t always feel like I fit in those rooms.
HEWSON: What’s nice is, I’ve spent so long going into a room and people just being like, “OK,” and act like they’re just not getting it. I know at least like I have work that people understand, what I’m doing a little bit more so they get me as an actor.
FAHY: It’s like a different level of respect.