How a hit factory was built
Skip around the radio and you’re bound to hear an artist who’s one degree of separation from Simon Cowell. Disciples of his brand of musical boot camp include “American Idol” season one winner Kelly Clarkson and season four victor Carrie Underwood; “America’s Got Talent” champ Grace VanderWaal; “The X Factor” alums One Direction, Fifth Harmony, Susan Boyle, Camila Cabello, Bea Miller and James Arthur; and supergroup Il Divo.
“Look at the careers of artists that Simon has been a part of and you will most likely find one common denominator: confidence,” Clarkson says. “I’m not sure that Simon could ever work with people that are insecure, and if he has or does, I’m almost certain he would be annoyed by it. Simon has been a part of so many careers and all the artists are very different from one another, but I do think ... he is attracted to working with people that know who they are, are good humans and are hard workers.”
Salty and brash but charming, Cowell’s demeanor and reputation led to an early judging gig on the British “Pop Idol,” predecessor to “American Idol.” The American show, which debuted in summer 2002, catapulted Clarkson and Cowell into the superstar stratosphere.
“Simon has always been the person you ring if you wanted a big song or to work with big producers like Ryan Tedder, for example. He’s always heavily Simon Cowell attends a ceremony honoring him with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in August. involved in A&R (Artists and Repertoire) for his artists,” says Louis Tomlinson, who will sit beside Cowell as a judge on the 15th season of the show that started his own career, “X Factor U.K.” “In One Direction, he gave us the opportunity to work with so many amazing writers and producers. For big sessions, you call Simon.”
One Direction bandmate Harry Styles echoes that notion. “Simon gave me my first opportunity and I am so grateful for that. He has always been a great friend and has taught me a lot.”
Even hits by artists one wouldn’t associate with Cowell, including Ariana Grande and the Weeknd, have his stamp on them.
“People probably don’t realize how involved he is on every level of the albummaking process. ... He’s still as involved today as he was on day one and for an artist like myself, that means so much,” says songwriter Savan Kotecha.
Cowell gave Kotecha a break by having him pen songs for boy band Westlife. That led to Kotecha’s breakthrough hits with Usher and a gig on “X Factor U.K.,” where Cowell connected him with a newly assembled act he believed in: One Direction. A song initially written as a love letter to Kotecha’s wife, “What Makes You Beautiful” launched a songwriter and a band into the stratosphere.
Another signature Cowell trait is his ability to spot talent in unlikely places. Perhaps the best example is Susan Boyle, whose “Britain’s Got Talent” audition in 2009 of “I Dreamed a Dream” from “Les Miserables” became a viral phenomenon and showed that Cowell did, in fact, have a heart.
Having Cowell in your corner is a life-changer, says Boyle. “He’s a champion for all his artists, not just me.”
Syco Music is the manifestation of Cowell’s vision for that entertainment business sector. Distributed by Sony Music, it has the freedom to align with the label it feels is the best fit for its artists. That means Camila Cabello can opt for the more edgy and urbanleaning label such as Epic, with whom she partnered for one of the biggest releases of 2018, her debut “Camila.”