Simon Cowell Says Son, 9, Wants to Play Drums in a Rock Band: 'That's Going to Be Total Torture'

Simon Cowell’s son Eric wants to follow in his dad’s music industry footsteps — but instead of making moves behind the scenes, the 9-year-old plans to be front and center of the stage. 

The 63-year-old has revealed Eric wants to play drums and sing in a rock band, and he even has his sights set on auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent one day. 

“He’s now decided he's going to audition for Britain's Got Talent,” Cowell told Entertainment Tonight following Tuesday’s live episode of America’s Got Talent season 18 qualifier rounds. 

“I think he wants to be in a rock band,” the proud dad continued of his son, who he shares with fiancée Lauren Silverman. “He loves Green Day.”

The AGT judge and executive producer went on to joke to ET, “That's going to be total torture. I mean, of all the things I've ever done, this will probably be the hardest, because he does play drums. [He's] going to drum and sing! I went, 'Oh God, no.' ”

Cowell added that his son is “really serious” about his desire to audition and his passion to be in a band. "I always promised him, ‘No you stay this side of the camera darling.’ But I don't know what it is, maybe because all these kids are auditioning and now he wants to be up there with his friends,” he continued.

The music mogul went on to say that he doesn’t think his son will have a tougher time because of who his father is. 

“I don’t think so, no,” he told ET. “I think that if you’ve got, like myself, I have a very open mind…Like I said tonight, everything is subjective, we all like different things and he’s got his own opinion on things and he’s got his own mind and I’ve always encouraged that with him, which is if you like something and I don’t like something that’s life, so hopefully, he'll be sitting there in 10 or less years time."

Cowell sits on the Britain's Got Talent judging panel alongside Dancing with the Stars judge Bruno Tonioli, actress and singer Amanda Holden and America’s Got Talent: The Champions judge Alesha Dixon.

The star has previously discussed how Eric helped him find a much-needed work-life balance amidst his busy schedule.

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He told The Sun in an interview published last year, "If Eric hadn't come along, God knows what would have happened. Before Eric, my life was 99 percent work. I was obsessed with it."

Cowell continued, "After I lost my mum and my dad, you kind of think you're never going to feel that love again — that's it. Then you have kids, and, though I never thought I would feel that way, it's beyond your love for your parents. It almost hurts how much you love them. Then you start thinking, 'When he grows up, what's his dad going to have done?' I think about that a lot."