Simon Cowell launching search for new pop star on TikTok

Simon Cowell has revealed he is launching a new talent search for the next big pop star – on TikTok.

The creator of Britain’s Got Talent and The X Factor is looking to find the next Harry Styles or Leona Lewis. But he's not planning a new TV series – this time he wants to harness the powers of social media.

Cowell, 63, told The Sun: "This is what I’ve tried to do with our TV shows – you get visibility and then after that, it’s down to you."

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The project, titled StemDrop, will work by seeing producer Max Martin write a new pop song and invite aspiring singers to upload their own version on social media.

Cowell said: "Having that first hit song is the most important part of an artist’s career, and also the most difficult part of breaking anyone’s career."

He added: "Just imagine somebody who is on TikTok, trying to get some traction, who now has the ability to make their own version of a song written by the most successful songwriter of our time. It’s very compelling."

Martin is the producer behind Britney Spears' Baby One More Time, Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off and Katy Perry’s I Kissed A Girl.

But using social media for his talent search will not be enticing Cowell – father to eight-year-old son Eric – to join TikTok.

He said: "I don’t want to be like a dad dancing at a wedding, right?

“No. I’ll be doing my bit for this but no, I’m not going to be that person. A lot of my friends are on it but if I start following one, I’ve got to follow everybody else.

“But I’m actually quite shy, believe it or not, so I’m not very good at doing that stuff.”

Earlier this year Cowell denied claims he plans to retire from TV.

The TV talent show judge - who recently admitted he was scaling back his work load for fear of "burnout" - dismissed reports he is considering taking a back seat on his TV shows.

Cowell said: "We all consider it, of course. But then again, what am I gonna do? Ever since I started work, I have tried to go without a schedule.

Read more: Simon Cowell on burnout from work: 'I was terrified it would happen to me'

“It was always like, ‘If you’ve got a good idea and you believe in it, just try and make it work’.”

Watch: Simon Cowell still hasn't set a wedding date