Simon Cowell, a mogul in the music industry, recognized for his roles on reality shows like “Pop Idol”, “American Idol”, “The X Factor”, and “Britain’s Got Talent”, played a pivotal part in shaping the global phenomenon One Direction. Cowell’s company signed the band members to his record label with a £2 million deal. Subsequently, One Direction soared to greatness, with sales surpassing 70 million records across the globe by April 2020.
However, he is being criticized online for claiming that currently, there is no "megastar boy band," with many saying his comment ignores the success of K-pop group BTS.
The X Factor alum said in a statement obtained by Rolling Stone, “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."
Indeed, the record executive announced that he will be holding open auditions across the UK to take part in a boy band boot camp — all of which might form the basis of a new documentary.
"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. 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," he continued.
His comments about the lack of a "megastar boyband" for this generation drew ire from those who pointed to BTS's success.
Indeed, BTS appears to have outsold One Direction globally. They're also the most streamed band on Spotify. They've broken multiple records, including the most viewers for the premiere of a music video on YouTube. In terms of US chart performance, they have six number ones compared to 1D's zero. That being said, on the UK chart specifically, 1D has more hits.
Outside of BTS, K-pop generated over $5 billion in 2022. Boy bands like Tomorrow X Together, Stray Kids, and Seventeen have achieved further global success.
Simon has previously made headlines for his comments on K-pop. In 2019, he said of his previous attempt to launch a band-themed reality show, "K-Pop is ruling the world. This is a show to find a band to launch UK-Pop. It’s more than winning a record contract, it’s starting a new music wave."
I get that Simon wants to pat himself on the back for his accolades, but I agree that the success of K-Pop bands, especially in the US will not go ignored.
My question is will the same formula of creating boy bands through a reality TV format work today like it did over a decade ago?
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