Simon Cowell’s flashy new talent search to find ‘the next One Direction’ has hit another snag, with two rounds of auditions reportedly being axed by bosses.
The music mogul recently set out on a quest to find the next incarnation of the boy band after admitting
there had not been a band as successful since, with plans for the search to appear in a Netflix documentary called The Midas Touch.
However, it’s now been reported by The Sun that the first two rounds of auditions in Newcastle, which were due to kick off on Thursday July 4, have been axed by bosses.
This has reduced the number of auditions, previously branded a ‘nationwide hunt,’ from nine to just seven.
It’s also been reported that in a bid to build interest, bosses were enlisting TikTok stars and influencers
to promote the call-out for auditions itself, and were reaching out to a number of content creators.
Simon had previously surprised the music industry by announced that he was launching his talent search in Newcastle first, followed by Liverpool, Dublin and London.
He said at the time: ‘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.’
Simon has previously shared his excitement at kicking off his boyband search in the north-east hotspot, having previously discovered stars such as James Arthur and Cheryl in the city.
He added: ‘I wanted to go to places with fun people, so Newcastle, yeah. I like the people from Newcastle.’
Representatives for Simon previously told The Sun that the Newcastle auditions were never cancelled because no venues had been booked, noting it was due to ‘travel schedules.’ MailOnline has contacted representatives for furhter comment
Doubts had previously cast on Simon’s grand new talent search on Tuesday, when a singer issued a savage message to the Britain’s Got Talent judge after he was approached by a casting director to audition for the ‘next One Direction.’
In his search for his newest stars, Simon has been seen taking to the streets of London with a sign that read: ‘Simon needs you. Future megastars wanted for new boyband.’
Meanwhile, his team of casting directors have been reaching out to potential candidates online, but one was not impressed.
Fin Power from Liverpudlian band STONE, claimed he had received a message from someone on behalf of Simon and shared his brutal response.
He explained: ‘I got this message from someone on behalf of Simon Cowell. ‘Hello, Fin. I’m contacting you on behalf of Simon Cowell!’
‘We are working with him to scout singers around the age of 16-18 years old for a new boyband, which is being filmed as part of a potential televised documentary following him on his search.
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Source: Tampa Bay Times
