Simon Cowell's search for new boyband faces challenges as auditions see low turnout
Simon Cowell announced plans that he was on the hunt for a new boyband and finally began auditions last weekend after thousands of promotional campaigns.
Simon Cowell's quest to discover a new boyband hit a snag when only a handful of hopefuls turned up to audition.
The entertainment tycoon had earlier this year declared his intention to form the next One Direction and called for auditions, inviting aspiring musicians and talents to showcase their abilities.
The auditions kicked off on Saturday, July 6, 2024, and are set to be featured in Simon's forthcoming Netflix show The Midas Touch. However, the turnout was far from what was expected as a mere 40 individuals arrived at Liverpool's Albert Dock, a stark contrast to the throngs that typically queue up for X Factor auditions.
A source disclosed to The Sun: "They started arriving slowly from about 9am on Saturday but the biggest number in the queue never amounted to more than about 40. By early afternoon, the number arriving had virtually dried up and it was the same story on the Sunday audition."
The insider also noted that the organisers seemed to have anticipated a larger crowd, stating: "The amount of railings they put up suggested they were expecting hundreds or thousands of people to arrive and pack out the queues but they had a fraction of those kinds of numbers.", reports the Mirror.
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Simon has encountered a series of obstacles for his new series, which he launched with the slogan "Simon Needs You", as he recently cancelled his first two originally scheduled dates in Gateshead.
A TV insider warned fans that X Factor fans would be surprised by their set up as they said: "These auditions will not look like The X Factor in the slightest - no shiny desks, big productions or celebrity guests. It will be incredibly stripped back."
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"Simon has amassed a team of real experts - songwriters, producers and AandR people - who he really trusts. Together they'll be chatting to the talent and trying to work out who should go through."
During a press chat, Simon admitted that the show would have no built-in record deal arranged with a label, meaning that successful candidates would need to have enough star power to grab a label's interest on their own.
In other news, former X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger was tipped to be going head to head with her former boss in the upcoming programme. Two more audition days are scheduled in Dublin later in July, 2024, while three dates have also been set up in London in early August.
