While Simon Cowell has been killing it as a judge on America’s Got Talent and Britain’s Got Talent for a while now, we can’t forget his iconic runs on singing competitions like American Idol and more specifically the UK’s X Factor. Most notably, he is the guy who took the five boys of One Direction under his wing during their time on the English series. Now, he’s throwing it back to his days working with the boy band, and it hit me right in the feels. Ah, nostalgia.
To show his love for Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik, Cowell posted some unseen footage from X Factor on his Instagram. In the video, he notes that he is “quietly confident” in One Direction, saying that he “just got a feeling that we may have something special.” Well, boy did they! After their time on the show, this boy band went on to be an international sensation, so I think it’s safe to say the longtime judge had a very good gut feeling about them. You can hear everything the current AGT judge said about the budding boy band in his adorable video below:
After throwing it back, and making me feel all the feelings about these boys’ beginnings back in 2010, Simon Cowell drove the point home with a sweet message. He wrote:
This feels like yesterday, thank you to each of you for being so amazing. Love Simon
Not only were these guys a powerhouse boyband, they also seem like genuinely good people, and it looks like that’s one of the primary reasons Simon Cowell has so much affection for them. He’s also one of their big cheerleaders, because like a lot of 1D’s fans, the former American Idol judge is all for a One Direction reunion.
Along with being a super sweet video, it also is so nostalgic. I was in middle school when One Direction broke big. So, seeing the boys as teenagers is giving me flashbacks to singing along to “What Makes You Beautiful” and seeing my classmates hang photos of their favorite band members up in their lockers. If you really want a nostalgia trip, check out this clip of Harry Styles audition for The X Factor, because that along with Cowell’s video will really drive that point home:
These days, all the members of One Direction have great solo careers, and they have found major success.
For example, Harry Styles just finished a massive world tour and starred in movies like My Policeman and Don’t Worry Darling. He also performs a song or two from back in the day during his concert, and he was seen rocking a 1D shirt this spring, so it’s clear he still adores the boyband.
Along with him, Niall Horan recently released his third album, and he’s going to be returning as a coach on The Voice when it premieres on the 2023 TV schedule later this fall. The “Heaven” singer even opened up about how his own time as a contestant on X Factor impacted his experience on The Voice.
It really seems like Simon Cowell is truly proud of the members of One Direction, and he looks back on his time working with them fondly. It’s pretty wild to think that he discovered the singers over a decade ago. However, looking at where they all are now, it’s clear that they’ve all grown so much as artists and people since their time on X Factor, and that makes me super emotional.