During a recent interview on Stephen Bartlett’s podcast, The Diary Of A CEO, Simon Cowell discussed One Direction, expressing his wish that he had ownership of the band’s name. Cowell revealed that he had set a goal for the band to release enough hit singles to be able to do stadium tours if they ever reunited. However, the possible reunion is unlikely, according to Cowell. He noted that when he gave the band the name, it was no longer his, and any direction must be sought with the band members’ permission.
Cowell’s biggest regret with the band was not owning the name. He explained that owning the name would have permitted spinoff projects without necessarily requiring consent from the band members. Cowell said that if one of the band members didn’t want to tour, the others would be affected, but if he owned the name, it would not have been an issue. He also suggested that owning the name could have enabled him to organize a reunion tour, regardless of individual band members’ involvement.
One Direction auditioned for The X Factor 14 years ago and were eventually grouped together and made a band by Cowell. They went on to release five Number One albums and become one of the most successful boy bands of all time. The band ended in 2016, soon after declaring a hiatus, and each member has gone on to launch a solo career.
The discussion about One Direction comes after Cowell confirmed he was trying to find the next big boy band, holding auditions throughout the UK. Cowell stated there had not been a megastar boy band with the same success as One Direction in over 14 years. The search for the new talents will be filmed, and Cowell hopes to release it as a documentary series in the future
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