Simon Cowell recently revealed his one regret about creating one of the most loved boy bands, “One Direction.” He admitted to making a mistake while managing the English-Irish pop band, which went on hiatus in December 2015. The music mogul reflected on his career highlights during an episode of The Diary of a CEO podcast. These include the formation of One Direction on The X Factor in 2010.
Yep, if you don’t know, Simon put together the band after the members auditioned as solo artists. The band consists of Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Liam Payne. However, the TV personality told host Steven Bartlett that his biggest regret was not owning the band’s name. He admitted, “The one thing I regret is that I should have kept the name.” Moreover, the 64-year-old explained that the band members have the rights to the name.
It limits his control over its use, and that’s where the problem lies! Cowell added, “Could have made an animation, or whatever, but when you give an artist the name, it’s not yours.” Plus, he could have done a tour with three of them had he kept the name. He jokingly addressed the boys, “If you’re listening, I’ll buy it back from you.” With One Direction members owning the name, it can stop the others from touring If one of them doesn’t want to.
Simon expressed, “I can be very naive at times, and that was me being very, very naive.” Hence, if he strikes the deal next time, the record executive wants to own the name. Furthermore, he also expressed “doubts” about the group reuniting. But he did recall realizing their star power early on. Since their split, One Direction members have enjoyed successful solo careers. Niall and Louis have released acclaimed solo albums, while Liam has garnered billions of streams.
Additionally, Zayn achieved early solo success with “Pillowtalk.” But Harry still seems to have become the biggest commercial success, earning several Grammys. Nearly ten years after 1D disbanded, Simon is striving to fill the gap in the market. The former X-Factor judge has recently launched a talent search for a new boy band in a very cool way! He promoted the announcement with a giant sign in London. It reads, “Simon needs you! Future megastars wanted for new boy band. No time wasters.”
Now, let’s learn about Simon’s motivation behind the talent hunt. Cowell stated that no band has been as good as One Direction since their formation. So, the only way he knows how to form a band is through auditions. The record producer added, “If I don’t do it this year, I’m going to really regret it.” However, he faced backlash online for his claim regarding the British pop band. Some folks are dismissive of globally popular K-pop groups like BTS.
Do you think Simon should have owned the name of our beloved band? Drop your thoughts below, and don’t miss out on more Simon Cowell updates over at Soap Opera Daily!
