There’s no denying that boybands haven’t had the best rep in recent years, with plenty of former stars coming forward to talk about the huge highs and mammoth lows of being a pop star. It’s partly the reason why many were shocked when Simon Cowell’s new show, Simon Cowell: The Next Act, dropped on Netflix earlier this month. It’s mission? To create the world’s best new boyband.
When it comes to a music group, Simon Cowell admittedly knows his stuff. The face of show’s including The X Factor and Pop Idol, he’s the the man behind acts such as One Direction and Fifth Harmony. In his prime, the music mogul was everywhere.
The Next Act saw Simon set out to create a brand-new boyband in a series that quickly morphed from documentary to X Factor reboot. As it came to an end, he insisted he’d done exactly what he set out to do: created the world’s next big boyband. Meet December 10.
Who are December 10?
December 10 is a seven-piece group formed on Simon Cowell’s Netflix show, The Next Act, which saw him scour the UK in hopes of discovering the planet’s next big boyband. 16 budding singers were invited to the star’s Miami home for a bootcamp style crash course, with the chosen few creating the band December 10. They’ve recently released their first music video, covered NSYNC’s ‘Bye, Bye, Bye.’
As for Simon, he told The Sun that he’s confident the boys have a long career ahead of them. Anticipating big success for the teens, Simon said, ‘All I know is that if people like them as much as I like them – and I really, really do have a bond with these boys – then I will be so happy.’
‘They’re real, they’re not privileged, they have no leg up apart from this. And I was thinking, where would they be without this opportunity? One of them is still working in a fast food restaurant.’
Who are the members of December 10?
The band is formed of members of seven members, who Simon has described as being ‘lovely, funny boys.’ As the show came to an end, Simon told them, ‘When this show airs, your whole life changes. I am really, really proud of you individually.’
Here’s who makes up December 10…
Cruz
Age: 19
©Netflix
Speaking at the audition, Cruz said, ‘I just love making people happy. Whenever I perform or entertain, I feel like that’s what I want to do for the rest of my life. Hailing from West London, JLS is his favourite boyband, with the teen also having played a young Michael Jackson in Motown: The Musical.
Danny
Age: 16
©Netflix
Danny showed up at the Liverpool auditions with his close pal Josh (who also happens to have made it into the band.) His aunt encouraged him to pursue singing at eight years old, with him mum forcing him to audition for Simon’s new show.
Hendrik
Age: 19
©Netflix
Hendrik gets his love for music from his mum, who was a professional singer. He was approached for auditioning for the band over TikTok, admitting he had ‘nothing to lose.’ As for his role in December 10, Simon dubbed him the ‘big brother’ of the band.
John
Age: 17
©Netflix
Telling Netflix’s Tudum that he’s been ‘singing forever,’ Josh revealed that he knew he had talent after being accepted into the cathedral choir in his hometown of Kent. However, signing up to The Next Act wasn’t an easy choice for the teen, who actually turned down a role in Paddington: The Musical to audition for the show.
Josh
Age: 17
©Netflix
Josh turned up at the Liverpool auditions with his friend Danny, becoming an immediate favourite. From Chorley, Josh has only been singing for the last two years. With his favourite boyband being One Direction, December 10 is certainly a dream come true.
Nicolas
Age: 16
©Netflix
While he initially divided the judges, Nicolas won over Simon with his George Michael-like appeal. From Portugal, he has eight years of experience singing (and once almost fell off the stage at Junior Eurovision.)
Seán
Age: 18
©Netflix
Hailing from Ireland, it was Seán’s mum who encouraged him to audition for Simon Cowell: The Next Act. ‘I wasn’t sure, but thought I shouldn’t worry about other people putting me down for doing it – it’s my life, so I should just go for it,’ he told Tudum.
What is the meaning behind December 10’s name?
If you’re wondering how the boys settled on this name, it’s actually a rather straightforward story. Simon has revealed that his band settled on the name December 10 as that was the release date for the documentary.
In the days since the documentary aired, December 10 have found themselves facing some drama over their name – partly down to the fact that, in a way, December 10 already exists…
There’s already a music group named December Tenth, who are a Scottish heavy metal band from Glasgow. Slightly more morbid than Simon’s boys, they reportedly picked their name from the date their pen pal was executed on death row.
In a post on social media, the lead singer of the band wrote, ‘It came to light over the last few days that Simon Cowell, Netflix and Universal Music are involved in a new boy band that share, to some extent, our name December Tenth. If anyone in Simon’s team, Universal or Netflix would like to get in touch with ourselves and our legal team, they can do so.’
Admitting that their social media has been flooded with messages, they added, ‘I would like to point out, the hundreds of new followers we have over the last few days are most welcome, but I’m not entirely sure they’re all genuine.’
It’s not the first time Simon has had to change the name of one of his acts. In 2011, X Factor’s Little Mix were forced to change their girl band name from Rhythmix, after a disabled children’s charity in Brighton with the same name threatened the programme with legal action.
Charlotte Roberts is a writer at Grazia UK, specialising in SEO. She spends her days covering everything celebrity, culture, and entertainment – from film review roundups to cast explainers.