Liam Payne and Nicole Scherzinger to judge Love Is Blind-style Netflix show
Building The Band will be hosted by Backstreet Boys founding member AJ McLean.
One Direction star Liam Payne, former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland and The Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger will judge attempts to create a band in a new Netflix show.
The trio of former stars from girl and boy bands will look at how the contestants have chemistry as they form their groupings in the new competition series.
Netflix said it will be similar to Love Is Blind, which sees contestants choose someone to marry without ever meeting them face to face.
The upcoming musical competition instead sees “singers form groups based solely on vocal chemistry before ever seeing each other”.
Building The Band will be hosted by Backstreet Boys founding member AJ McLean.
Executive producer Cat Lawson told Netflix Tudum: “Building The Band is a brave and bold undertaking for all involved as we hand over power to the singers themselves to form their own band based on chemistry first.
“With looks out of the equation, can they create a deeper connection with their bandmates?
“With limited bands, there are difficult decisions and heart-stopping moments along the way, but ultimately the outcome is truly amazing, with bands forming who in my opinion are worthy of the very biggest stage.”
Payne, 30, was part of One Direction, one of the biggest pop groups in the world with five albums and four world tours. The band went on indefinite hiatus after Zayn Malik announced his departure in 2015.
They were formed on The X Factor in 2010.
Scherzinger, a singer and Olivier Award-winning actress, went solo in 2010.
She sold more than 54 million records around the world with her girl group, The Pussycat Dolls.
The group was set to have a reunion before the pandemic, and in 2022, Scherzinger admitted she was “extremely saddened” by the cancellation.
Rowland rose to fame in Destiny’s Child alongside Beyonce and Michelle Williams before they disbanded in 2006.
One of the most successful girl groups of all time, they sold millions of records around the world thanks to hits such as Say My Name, Survivor and Bootylicious.
They briefly reunited for Beyonce’s headline performance at Coachella in April 2018.
Love Is Blind: UK, hosted by husband and wife presenting team Matt and Emma Willis, is currently airing on Netflix.
It sees potential partners develop emotional bonds by chatting in pods, where they can talk to each other over a speaker without seeing one another.
There is no release date so far for Building The Band.
