He currently appears on thousands of television screens up and down the country every Saturday and Sunday night on the X Factor. Having earned a reputation as TV’s ‘Mr Nasty’, Simon has revealed a generous, caring side to his persona. Recently he donated £100,000 to an 18-month-old girl suffering with a rare form of cancer so she could fly to America for treatment. So does Mr Cowell really deserve the label of ‘Mr Nasty’?
Born in Brighton in October 1959, Simon Phillip Cowell found his way into the music industry courtesy of his dad, Eric. An executive at EMI Music Publishing, he gave Simon a job working in the mail room. From here, Simon showed his ambition and determination by working his way up through the company, ending up in a music publishing position. However he left EMI to form E&S Music with his boss at EMI. E&S Music produced several hit records, but it wasn’t until Simon left the company to join Fanfare Records that his dominance in the music industry really began to take hold. Fanfare, an independent record label, was fairly successful. Simon signed Sinitta, (who later became his girlfriend) and numerous other pop artists, all helping to establish himself further in the industry.
Shortly after, Fanfare got into financial difficulties, forcing Simon to move back into his parents’ house. Nonetheless his ambitions showed no signs of wavering. Some years after becoming an A&R consultant at BMG, Simon came from behind the scenes in the music industry to one of the most famous men in the world. He was a relative unknown when he joined the judging panel of Pop Idol in 2001. Soon after Simon showed us why he was labelled ‘Mr Nasty’, with cutting comments like “distinctly average”, the words he used to describe a performance by Will Young, the eventual winner of the first series of Pop Idol.
‘I don’t mean to be rude but...’ is perhaps one of the most famous catchphrases in Simon’s repertoire of putdowns. It is usually followed by a comment about the contestant’s appearance, singing voice or personality that can often be described as rude. He is a pantomime villain of the talent show world. He is booed by the audience on a regular basis after voicing his opinion. But I secretly think the country loves him, or loves to hate him. He may occasionally be quite blunt and possibly too honest, but in his eyes, that’s what the contestants need to hear; the truth. Not a criticism diplomatically wrapped up in cotton wool so as not to offend the deluded auditionee. Simon has said himself that “showbusiness is cruel”, and that he learnt “real tough love from people like Pete Waterman”, whom he worked with for several years during his career. He has also admitted that some auditions are like “torture”.
Simon’s TV and music business empire really began to take shape when the first series of the X Factor started in 2004. Now in its sixth series, Simon has made an international superstar of Leona Lewis, the winner of series three. She has already sold 6.5 million albums worldwide and is signed to Simon’s record label, Syco.
American Idol and Britain’s Got Talent followed, both hugely successful TV programmes in their respective countries. Simon’s ambition knows no bounds however, and he has recently cemented a deal with billionaire retail businessman Sir Phillip Green, to form their own company. Greenwell Entertainment has claimed it will “rival Disney” and will encompass all aspects of the entertainment industry, including music, media and television projects. Even Kate Moss has got in on the act, as ‘Director of style and fashion’.
It makes you wonder when he will tire of world domination, is there much he hasn’t achieved? In professional terms, it seems not. But in his private life, things are different. Although he has made it clear he doesn’t want children. “God no, I couldn’t have children...I’d go nuts” he has said. Some may also find it strange that he is unusually close to his ex-girlfriends. He even bought Terri Seymour, his partner for 8 years, a £2.5 million mansion after they had split up, because he said he “owed it to her”. His ex-girlfriend Sinitta appears every year on the X Factor at the judges’ houses stage, to help Simon when making decisions about who to put through to the live shows. Simon is currently single, but if he ever feels lonely it is usually “self imposed” and he “relishes” it.
Still, with all his success and millions, Simon has admitted that he is prone to dark moods, possibly verging on depression. He says he is “quite odd” and sometimes thinks that he will never be happy. For a man that appears to have it all, surprisingly he describes himself as a “wondering asteroid without a home”. Maybe the problem is he owns too many, with houses in Beverly Hills, Barbados, Malaga and London.
On the surface, Mr Cowell appears as a confident character, sometimes with a hint of arrogance. He is proud of the fact that he has never had to borrow money to get to earn his fortune as one of Britain’s richest people. If anything it is his ‘Mr Nasty’ persona that has got him where he is today, becoming one of the most infamous yet strangely likeable men in Britain, and America too. It seems that underneath ‘Mr Nasty’ lies a ‘Mr Nice’ who at the age of 50 is never fully content, but always looking for the next step towards world domination.
