Television personality and music executive Simon Cowell went through a series of music industry gigs prior to the debut of “American Idol.” Per his website bio, Cowell was born into a wealthy family and he had “illustrious neighbours from the film world” surrounding him in his childhood neighborhood of Elstree. He began his music career as a runner for Elstree studios and he next worked for a time at EMI. Cowell eventually ended up co-founding Fanfare Records with colleague Iain Burton, and the label scored hit songs during the 1980s from artists like Sinitta.
Cowell kicked off his time on television when he served as a judge on “Pop Idol,” a British singing competition series that began in 2001 and ended in 2003. In a 2011 “Oprah’s Master Class” podcast interview, Cowell recalled how this role proved to be a life-changing one. “It did become an overnight success,” Cowell said of the “Pop Idol” premiere, before adding that the series was sold within just two minutes when pitched to TV executives. The show was created by Simon Fuller, who decided to next pitch “Pop Idol” in the United Stated with the new title of “American Idol.” Cowell joined Fuller for this fated venture, which resulted in a prosperous TV role that lasted nearly a decade.
Nicki
