Simon Cowell has returned to his roots with his new show The Next Act, where he searches for a new boyband in the hopes of replicating One Direction’s success.
One Direction were formed on The X Factor in 2010 but announced their hiatus in 2015, and with Liam Payne‘s tragic death last October, the chance of them reuniting now seems sadly remote.
And with The X Factor being put on an indefinite pause back in 2015, Simon’s opportunity to find the next big band paused with it.
Ten years on he is now back searching, with his six-episode Netflix docuseries following male singers from the raw open casting calls to the release of the group’s debut single.
But the new band bears a striking resemblance to the music mogul’s former proteges.
Four of the seven-strong boyband appear to be the spitting image of One Direction stars Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan.
Simon Cowell has returned to his roots with his new show The Next Act, where he searches for a new boyband – but the new band bears a striking resemblance to the music mogul’s former proteges, One Direction
One Direction were formed on The X Factor in 2010 but announced their hiatus in 2015, and with Liam Payne ‘s tragic death last October, the chance of them reuniting now seems sadly remote (Seen together in 2011)
In snaps of the boyband from the Netflix show’s world premiere in London on Tuesday, a glimpse at what appeared to be the final line-up was revealed.
Contestant Nicolas Alves looks a lot like global superstar Harry, even with his long brown locks to match.
Meanwhile Josh Olliver seems to be a Louis lookalike and Sean Hayden looks just like Irish star Niall.
And Danny Bretherton, who actually appeared on The Voice Kids two years before auditioning for The Next Act, looks a lot like Zayn.
Simon clearly had his work cut out with the unruly bunch who can be seen play-fighting and arguing in the new trailer as they battle through boot camp-style auditions to fight for a spot in the new band. The final 16 are flown to Miami.
Simon compared the process to ‘mining for diamonds’.
Before filming, Simon made it clear he is actively focused on signing only new talent for his latest venture, despite Daniel already having a chance on another show.
The Britain’s Got Talent judge fears the UK is not finding enough breakthrough talent, saying record labels are not signing enough new stars, who face too much competition online.
Four of the seven-strong boyband appear to be the spitting image of One Direction stars Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan
Nicolas Alves (front centre right) looks a lot like global superstar Harry, even with his long brown locks to match, while Josh Olliver (back centre right) seems to be a Louis lookalike and Sean Hayden (back right) looks just like Irish star Niall
And Danny Bretherton, who actually appeared on The Voice Kids two years before auditioning for The Next Act, looks a lot like Zayn
Simon, who had global success with One Direction and Westlife, is determined to change that, and told the Daily Mail: ‘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.’
‘As much as I love my job on TV, I miss where I started signing artists and working with bands,’ Simon says in the trailer. ‘There is a massive opportunity. I am going to find a new boy band.’
‘There’s so much at stake,’ he says. ‘There is a huge risk here. If this goes wrong, it will be “Simon Cowell has lost it.”‘
Simon, who is worth an estimated £475million, is no stranger to scouting new talent and since 2001 has appeared as a judge on several music reality competition series, including Pop Idol, American Idol, Britain’s Got Talent, America’s Got Talent and The X Factor.
During its 14-year run, The X Factor changed the face of the British music industry, discovering some of the biggest names, including One Direction, Leona Lewis, Little Mix, JLS, and Olly Murs.
But amid dwindling viewing figures and allegations of mistreatment from past contestants, ITV announced in 2021 that there were no plans for a new series.
Simon, who had global success with One Direction and Westlife, is determined to change the lack of boybands (One Direction seen in 2013)
Simon’s new Netflix series The Next Act promises to give viewers a deeper look into the inner workings of the music industry and reveal what execs consider when putting together a boy band
Simon will be hoping to emulate the success of his previous artists, who have broken records and sold millions of records worldwide.
It comes after Simon’s most trusted songwriter said he is convinced that Brits still love boybands and is determined to reclaim his stranglehold on the UK charts.
Savan Kotecha, 47, is appearing alongside the former X Factor boss on the docuseries.
Since One Direction stopped working together, the lack of domestic boybands in the charts has been startling.
Indeed, the most successful boybands in recent years have come from K-pop, South Korea‘s thriving music scene, but Simon believes they will rise once more in the UK and win over a new generation of young fans.
Creating a new boyband is an exciting prospect for Simon, Savan says, adding that the music mogul’s return to the talent-show format is about passion, not money.
She said: ‘It’s not about the money or fame for him, it’s about the love of doing it. There are a lot of easier ways to make money in the business. It’s such a lottery ticket. It’s really the love of doing it and I know from conversations with Simon that he just loves pop music.’