On Wednesday (September 21) night, viewers were introduced to L.A. Reid, “X Factor” judge.
Music fans didn’t really need an introduction to L.A. Reid, record industry power-player since founding LaFace Records back in 1989. In the subsequent 20-plus years, with LaFace, Arista and The Island Def Jam Music Group, Reid has been credited with signing, developing or shaping the careers of artists ranging from Pink to Usher to Justin Bieber to Rihanna and more.
Back in March, Reid made the decision to exit his position as Chairman and CEO at The Island Def Jam Music Group to come join Simon Cowell on “The X Factor” (and then taking over the Epic Label Group in July).
In my recent interview with Cowell, he praised Reid for his taste and for their similar backgrounds, but on Wednesday’s premiere, a lot was made of the two men bumping heads when evaluating potential “X Factor” talent.
The day before chatting with Cowell last week, I sat down with Reid to talk about his big job switch, about his “X Factor” judging approach and his overall approach to judging talent.
Check out the interview…