Simon Cowell is back in the boyband business with his new group December 10, spawned from his major new Netflix show The Next Act.
Three decades after turning Robson and Jerome into his first pop success story, before moving onto Pop Idol, The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, the music mogul is having another roll of the dice with his seven-piece band.
And as one of the titans of the industry, straddling both the music and reality TV worlds, podcast hosts Richard Osman and Marina Hyde were keen to know if he wishes he would have done anything differently during his varied career.
During his interview on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, Simon was asked ‘what has been your biggest miss and what did you learn from it?’
Simon was adamant though that he can’t have regrets, because of his son Eric, 11, leaving Marina and Richard bemused as he launched into a long-winded explanation on the power of destiny.
‘However, that’s your destiny and Eric was conceived on a certain day at a certain time, and if things have gone differently, then I don’t believe he would be here.’
‘So that therefore you can’t really complain too much about your regrets.’
Simon did concede he has experienced the dark side of his industry, but refused to elaborate except to cryptically say: ‘I’ve had experiences now where people who you trusted just completely let you down.
‘I can be quite naive where I really, really, really put my trust in people. And boy do they let let you down.’
The businessman, who shares Eric with his fiancée Lauren, said at this point in his life any business regrets pale into insignificance, gushing ‘My family is everything to me genuinely.’
‘I mean, when I first found out, I’m like, Oh my God, I wasn’t expecting that.
And then from the minute I saw his scan, I just fell in love. It was like a game changer. Everything in my life changed.’
Simon’s new boyband December 10 sent fans wild after they debuted their first full performance with an acoustic cover of NSYNC’s Bye Bye Bye on Monday.
They were formed by the music mogul, 66, on his new Netflix series, The Next Act, which was savaged by critics after premiering last week.
The band, which consists of Cruz, 19, Danny, 17, Hendrick, 19, John, 17, Josh, 17, Nicolas, 16, and Sean, 19, were seen taking to the mic at London’s Metropolis Studios.
Performing their own instruments, it marked the band’s first complete full set, outside the glimpses seen in Netflix series.
Despite the show being criticised as a ‘rehash of the X Factor for the billionth time’ fans tuned in in their droves to see the video’s premiere and were full of praise for the group.
They gushed: ‘The vocals are king’: ‘I’m in love with them’: ‘Well done all smashed it’: ‘So amazing’: ‘A boy band and instruments, perfect’: ‘JAW IS ON THE FLOOR’.
Simon Cowell: The Next Act was called ‘dated, derivative and as flat as his hairdo’ in a number of scathing reviews.
The six-part series, which follows the record executive try and find the next big boyband, landed on the streaming service on Wednesday 10 December.
Over the years, Simon has created a number of successful groups and solo artists, including One Direction, Little Mix, Susan Boyle and Westlife – which are all down to shows such as ITV’s X Factor and the Got Talent franchise.
Metro’s Jon O’Brien wrote : ‘It’s been four years since The X Factor was finally put out of its misery and a good dozen since its halcyon days, a period in which pop music, and its star-making methods, have significantly moved on from the bog-standard TV talent show.
‘Unfortunately, no one seems to have told Simon Cowell.’
Meanwhile The Telegraph‘s Anita Singh’s headline stated : ‘Simon Cowell’s comeback series is as flat as his hairdo.’
