Idol creator Simon Fuller and TikTok team up to assemble the world's next music supergroup

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Aug 07, 2020, 08:00 ET

LONDON and LOS ANGELES, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Simon Fuller, renowned hit-maker and founder of XIX Entertainment, and TikTok, the short-form video app with a mission to inspire creativity and bring joy, today announced a ground-breaking partnership to discover the most talented music performers on TikTok and create a first-of-its-kind global music collective.

Through an in-app audition process on TikTok, Fuller – an entertainment industry icon and creator of the Idol franchise, which re-defined how television could provide a launch platform for music talent – will be looking for extraordinary undiscovered artists to earn a spot in the innovative group. In re-writing the rules of music discovery, Fuller and TikTok will bring fresh excitement and joy to the global stage and place the TikTok audience at the heart of the group's development.

TikTok has proven to be a platform unlike any other where artists can quickly and easily share their creativity and immediately rocket to global fame.

"TikTok has empowered self-expression and creativity and captured the hearts and minds of hundreds of millions of passionate users. The next generation of Pop Stars have eagerly embraced the platform," said Fuller. "With the help of the TikTok audience, I will bring together a line-up of incredible artists to shape the next level of Pop Fandom. This will be the most connected Pop Group ever, thriving on every platform and sharing their talent and positive energy with the world."

TikTok has been transformational for the music industry. The beloved video platform has helped catapult new artists to fame, given new life and new audiences to throwback hits, and fundamentally changed the way music is developed and consumed around the world. Music is among the many ways TikTok is a driving force of our culture today.

"It's been nothing short of awe-inspiring to see the extraordinary musical talent – from up-and-coming artists to superstars like Lizzo, JLo and Justin Bieber – that shows up on TikTok every day and inspires even more creativity around the world," said Kevin Mayer, TikTok CEO. "Together with Simon Fuller, we have the opportunity to find the next stars, many of whom are on TikTok today, and empower them to become a cultural phenomenon."

"TikTok is shaping culture, supercharging music discovery, and fast-tracking artists onto the charts," said Ole Obermann, TikTok's Global Head of Music. "We're delighted to partner with Simon Fuller as we continue to support emerging talent and build TikTok as the premiere artist development and discovery platform. Simon's unrivalled track record of identifying and nurturing musical talent is a perfect fit with our mission at TikTok."

TikTok has become the go-to staging ground that has helped previously little known or undiscovered artists like Lil Nas X, Curtis Waters, Ambjaay, Breland, Mxmtoon, Y2K, and bbno$ find mainstream fame and dominate the charts. Combining TikTok's enhanced social virality for musicians on the app with Fuller's unique ability to spot and develop talent, this partnership has all the right makings of creating the world's next chart-topping pop group.

Talent should keep an eye on the TikTok app for forthcoming audition details.

About Simon Fuller's XIX Entertainment
Simon Fuller is a renowned entertainment industry creator, producer and entrepreneur. He has imagined, developed and executed some of the biggest entertainment properties of all time, engaging audiences across the world and generating $billion revenues in the process. For more than three decades Fuller has positively impacted popular culture worldwide, through properties and businesses that have disrupted convention, defined the times and empowered iconic artists to achieve their creative and commercial ambitions. He was the inspiration behind the Spice Girls, the creator of the Pop Idol global TV franchise, the partner of David and Victoria Beckham and the guidance behind the careers of sporting legends Andy Murray and Lewis Hamilton, extraordinary singers Annie Lennox and Amy Winehouse and award winning projects with entertainment icons Jennifer Lopez and Michael Caine. Today his company, XIX Entertainment, is an ever evolving force of creativity and innovation, in music, television, film and fashion.

About TikTok
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok has global offices including Los Angeles, Mountain View, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo. www.tiktok.com.