Pop mogul Simon Cowell prides himself on knowing talent, after all he’s been head judge on shows including the ‘X Factor’ and ‘American Idol’ for over a decade. But the 56-year-old has previously admitted that his biggest regret was not signing the Spice Girls, but now it seems hemight have a second chance with the girl group.
Wooing Mel B at the ‘X Factor’
Last week Mel B was a guest judge at the ‘X Factor’ auditions, where Cowell is said to have made his move. A backstage source told The Sun that Simon is desperate to make a new Spice Girls album and told Mel that if they signed with him he would do ‘something mega’.
When the Spice Girls were looking for a record deal in the mid-nineties it was another Simon, Simon Fuller who snagged the girl group. Fuller and Cowell were once friends but they ended up falling over over legal disputes related to the ‘X Factor’ TV show.
There are different stories about what actually happened between Cowell and the girls. Mel B once said they had gone so far as to sing for Cowell in a car park, but he told them it just wasn't going to work.
Victoria Beckham also once described him as the only man in the music industry to have turned down the Spice Girls. Cowell himself, however, feels it was more a case of them turning him down.
‘Biggest mistake’.
During an appearance on Jay Leno’s talk show in 2013, Cowell said his biggest mistake was turning down the Spice Girls.
But the mogul went on to clarify that he knew the group were going to be big, but he was too late on the deal. “I offered them a deal, but they didn’t want to sign to me, so that kind of hurt at the time,” Cowell said.
The reunion
The Spice Girls have yet to confirm if they’ll be reuniting to celebrate their 20th anniversary, but rumours have been flying for months.
Mel B, Emma Bunton and Geri Horner are all said to be onboard, without Mel C and Victoria Beckham.
But if the girls do reunite and sign with Simon Cowell, their 20th anniversary could be bigger than first thought. Cowell has been responsible for the success of groups including One Direction and the Spice Girls' current successors Little Mix. With talk of an album and various shows, Cowell and his marketing could just be exactly what is needed to bring ‘Girl Power’ back again.
