Former One Direction star Liam Payne has joined forces with fellow music icons Nicole Scherzinger and Kelly Rowland in a new reality TV series competition for Netflix.
Building the Band will see the stars attempt to put together a band from scratch – sight unseen… it’s essentially Love is Blind crossed with The X Factor.
Liam, 30, will join Pusscat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger, 46, and Destiny’s Child Kelly Rowland, 43, as coaches to the next generation of talent, alongside a series of to-be-announced guest judges.
Meanwhile, former Backstreet Boys star and singer AJ McLean, 46, will host the competition, adding another pop group sensation to the mix.
Taking face-to-face encounters out of the equation, contestants are encouraged to find their bandmates based on charisma, compatibility and talent.
But how will the bands hit it off when the bands do finally meet for the first time?
Explaining the concept for Netflix.com, executive producer Cat Lawson said: ‘Building the Band is a brave and bold undertaking for all involved as we hand over power to the singers themselves to form their own band based on chemistry first.
‘With looks out of the equation, can they create a deeper connection with their bandmates?’
She continued: ‘With limited bands, there are difficult decisions and heart-stopping moments along the way, but ultimately the outcome is truly amazing, with bands forming who in my opinion are worthy of the very biggest stage!’
Along the road to stardom, the contestants will face a series of unexpected challenges and perform for both the regular judges and guest stars.
Filming is to begin this summer, with a line-up of guest judges and challenges to be announced soon.
With a star-studded line-up which includes figures from not one but four iconic pop bands, producers are surely hoping to find the next One Direction or Pussycat Dolls.
Judge Liam followed a similar trajectory to that of the show’s contestants – auditioning for The X Factor as a solo artist in 2010 – before being folded into a band with Harry Styles and the rest of the crew.
Like Harry and Liam, 1D bandmates Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson all auditioned as solo artists for the ITV competition.
However, series mastermind Simon Cowell had other ideas – and thus One Direction was born.
Netflix will also air the documentary The Midas Touch, which documents Simon’s search for the next One Direction – with the band having been on hiatus since 2015, while the boys focus on their own careers.
In his search for their replacements, the music mogul, 64, has found the state of the talent pool to be sorely lacking.
‘The reality is that every day something like 200,000 songs are uploaded [to social media] so weirdly less people are getting signed, and less people are breaking worldwide,’ he told Greatest Hits Radio.
‘It’s the worst I’ve ever known it since I’ve been in the music business,’ he continued.
However, he remains convinced that there is still a hunger for the ‘next’ One Direction.
‘Those records have really stood the test of time they still really, really sound great. Imagine if they did reform and their tickets went on sale? They would have the biggest ticket sale in history, I genuinely believe that,’ he said.
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