Simon Cowell has said he is “not a fan of Bob Dylan“, stating that the iconic musician wouldn’t get through an audition on one of his talent shows.
The music mogul and TV personality signed the likes of One Direction and Little Mix through his label, Syco, following their respective appearances on The X Factor.
Cowell featured as a judge and mentor on the reality singing competition, and has also judged on Pop Idol, Britain’s Got Talent and American Idol.
His new Netflix show, Simon Cowell: The Next Act, is set to premiere on December 10. The docuseries will “follow him everywhere as he sets out to do it again, to try and create the next global boyband sensation”.
During a new interview on the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, Cowell discussed the forthcoming project, and how the music industry had changed since the days of The X Factor.
At one point in the chat, it was put to Cowell that “unconventional voices” such as those of Bob Dylan or Frank Ocean wouldn’t make it through one of his talent programmes.
When asked to share his thoughts on this, the mogul spoke about a hit Dylan cover from Adele’s debut studio album ’19’ (2008).
“When I heard Bob Dylan’s version of that Adele song, ‘Make You Feel My Love’, I didn’t know he wrote the song,” Cowell admitted.
“I think if he’d walked in and sang that version, I’m not gonna lie, I would’ve gone, ‘Forget it’. Seriously. Look, I’m not a fan of Bob Dylan, but if people like him, then they like him, and if you don’t, that’s fine.”
Adele’s version of Dylan’s 1997 track initially peaked at Number 26 in the UK. However, it enjoyed a resurgence two years later when it featured on the seventh series of The X Factor. It eventually rose to Number Four following a performance by Gamu Nhengu on the show. ‘Make You Feel My Love’ later featured on Britain’s Got Talent, too.
Cowell explained about returning with The Next Act: “The world has changed a lot. Music’s changed. But at the heart of it, weirdly, nothing really has changed because it really still comes down to the same basics, which is you’ve gotta find stars.”
Speaking about his fears about the process, he said: “You’ve gotta be confident. Otherwise, why bother doing it? I mean, I didn’t do this to fail. At the same time, once we started the process, I was like, ‘Oh God, what if no one turns up?’ That was a huge factor.
“And the real fear was – when we narrowed the numbers down and I was flying them out to the U.S. to work with producers and very well-known vocal coaches and musicians – what if they sound terrible?”
An official synopsis for Simon Cowell: The Next Act reads: “This is unlike any show he has made before. From raw open casting calls to the release of their debut single, this is an all-access pass for viewers to catch every moment of Simon’s next chapter. Will he strike gold once again?” Check out the trailer above.
All five members of One Direction – Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Liam Payne – auditioned for The X Factor as solo artists, and were ultimately put together as a group by Cowell during the series.
In other news, last weekend saw Bob Dylan perform a traditional folk ballad for the first time in 34 years. The legendary singer-songwriter is currently out on his 2025 ‘Rough And Rowdy Ways’ UK and Ireland tour.
It was reported earlier this year that the musician had been working on new material with “members of his band” in Albany, New York.
