Randy Jackson On American Idol 12: “I Think We Will Find That Pop Star” (AUDIO)

By On 09/17/2012 · 44 Comments · In American Idol

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Randy Jackson chatted with Ryan Seacrest on the KIIS morning show this morning. He believes that American Idol will find a trendy pop star this year. Oh. and he, Keith Urban and Lil Wayne are going to form a super group. Alrighty. Via RyanSeacrest

What Can We Look Forward To In Season 12? - “Idol is the only show that I know of that continuously has stars that are produced on this show. We got Phil Phillips from last year. I think judging from what was on last year, and what I’ve seen so far on day one it’s going to be a little different with the talent level that we get. I think it’s still going to be really strong, but I think we may actually find that pop star again. Somebody that has ‘the look.’ The whole fashion vibe. That has the voice and the talent. I think we will find that pop star.”

On Fellow Judges - “I’ve known Nicki Minaj for years. Mariah had her on a song years ago. I met her three or four years ago. I’ve know Keith Urban for about four or five years. Look this panel is on fire! The show is on fire! Ryan, this is the new season 12, lets get it!

On Country Superstar Keith Urban - “I love him. He’s an amazing musician. He plays the guitar so well. It’s unbelievable. He and I have already been talking about putting together a supergroup. Me, him and Lil Wayne and some others. He’s amazingly talented, and I think his insight has added a whole new meaning, because we’ve never had anybody country.”

On Mariah Carey & Nicki Minaj
“Mariah who is the greatest singer in the world. She’s sold over 200 million records. We’ve got Nicki Minaj who is doing her thing and she’s hot on the charts right now!”

Is Mariah Nervous At All? - “No, since the first couple of people who come in everybody I think everybody was just watching to see how the whole thing was goin’. You know it came off, it was like a duck to water.”

 

 
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  • Karen C

    I think that Jessica was between a rock and a hard place, and it was because the majority of viewing/voting audience are not fans of most current pop music. So, if she wanted to stay on the show, she had to sing songs that were familiar to the audience in a certain way, and the time that she tried to sing a more current song in a more current style, she was voted off and needed to be saved.

    But if she had done something more current, even though it was different than usual, there’s a chance she could have really caught on and brought in fans to the show.  THis has happened before on the show, but it is a big risk.  At least she would have shown the music she wanted to do while on the show. Or do more of a combination when she got through to the later rounds.

  • girlygirltoo

    Phillip is (A) just as much of a “WGWG” as 3 of the 4 winners before him and (b) for all of his sales success and chart success in other genres, barely making a dent in the pop music world. He’s really not the model to try and follow if Idol wants a pop music star.

    Kelly is not someone who had to crossover into pop music — she started out in that genre from the second she got off Idol. And someone like Adele comes along very very rarely — there aren’t others like her that have suddenly started popping up on the pop music charts.

  • girlygirltoo

    So none of those song choices were Jessica’s?

  • Karen C

    Either Idol’s niche music buffs are so very picky that none of their high-placing finalists release good enough music after the first album, or there’s a lot of voting for appealing television personalities but not much commitment to those artists’ original music.

    It’s not just happening to the more niche artists, it’s also happening to the ones that were closer to pop, also, though.   Which leads me to believe that the first album sales are higher because some fans are buying the albums because they are fans of the show.  Some are fans of the artist’s music, also. 

    I think part of the problem for some is that the music from the first album wasn’t marketed to their genre, which would build a more lasting audience for the artist. 

    That’s why I’m glad Phillip is getting airplay on AAA, and if his album and next single does well in this format, he might be able to keep from having the drops that other Idols have.  I also think Scotty might, also, because he’s getting airplay on Country radio. 

  • Xentusk

    What bands would you consider fluff back in the 60s? Just curious….

    Herman’s Hermits comes to mind with “Henry the VII, I Am”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZG0NZviGvA&feature=related
    LOL

  • fuzzywuzzy

    I totally see your point and don’t disagree with it, but perhaps, Jessica’s youth had a lot to do with her caving to the advice of others, even though the alternative was a big risk but could have been her breakthrough moment. She’d already been on AGT and hadn’t gone far, so maybe, she just wanted to stay on the show as long as possible. Not excusing what she did, but just trying to imagine what she may have been thinking/feeling. I do think that what she decided to do is going to make it harder for her to establish herself outside of the Idol bubble.

  • Karen C

    Kelly did start out in pop music, but I meant that she wouldn’t have been traditionally considered a pop star, she was even told this by record execs.

  • Karen C

    I totally see your point and don’t disagree with it, but perhaps, Jessica’s youth had a lot to do with her caving to the advice of others, even though the alternative was a big risk but could have been her breakthrough moment.

    I agree that her age had a lot to do with it, and the ones that were successful at this had a lot more experience than she did.   But at the same time, I also think that knowing yourself as an artist enough to take risk is important to making it in music, both on and off Idol, unless you are going to be a manufactured star.

  • lovetheusa1776

    Much I agree with here.  I do believe, however, that Idol was – in the beginning – “cool” – and one of reasons KC was successful.  Now, that advantage is gone and anyone from AI no longer has that special cachet.  And, yes, country is  different and seems to accept an Idol more readily. 

  • elliegrll

    It seems like the majority of the contestants who have made it to the Top 10 on Idol have not been true pop musicians.

    Maybe, but pop is a lot about image, as Randy said, and the image that people have to project in order to be successful on American Idol is not one that is usually associated with people who are successful pop stars.  

    For example, I’d love for some of the male idol alums to be featured on a song that’s from a rapper, or produce a song that’s similar to Justin Bieber’s “As Long As You Love Me,” but the truth is that none of them have an image that will make people believe them when they sing a song like that one, or believe that they actually would team up with a rap artist.  

    Some of the alums have tried to change their images post show, but most of the time they try a little too hard, and come across like they are pretending to be someone who they aren’t, which means that people aren’t going to buy their music, and PDs are not going to play it.  Maybe the Hot AC PDs will play the songs, but not the Pop ones.

  • http://twitter.com/eilonwya10 Eilonwy

    For example, I’d love for some of the male idol alums to be featured on a song that’s from a rapper, or produce a song that’s similar to Justin Bieber’s “As Long As You Love Me,” but the truth is that none of them have an image that will make people believe them when they sing a song like that one, or believe that they actually would team up with a rap artist.  

    One of my great puzzlements is why Lambert hasn’t done a song with a featured rapper. If he can sing a song written by Bruno Mars — who has sung the hook on multiple hip-hop songs — I don’t see why his associating with one of the glitzier rappers would be so bizarre. Bling + social commentary, with a beat you can move to, is pretty basic to hip-hop.

    Okay, actually, my secret fantasy is for Archuleta to collaborate with a Christian rapper when he gets back from his mission. Maybe it’s his, too.

  • zjzr

    Every year Randy has to say something to say that the next season would be different, “finding that pop star”, “the next Talyor Swift”, “a girl would win”, etc., etc., etc., but we all know what it will turn out to…

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/TBRH25QFXTK5JOPE4HX7FBI5PE J

    The problem is the AI audience wont vote for the image of current pop stars over the southern hometown underdog nobody (unless they are much much better than the competition.) Someone who comes off as a pop “star” would already be perceived as having made it. That would take away the voters belief that their votes are going to make or break the contestants career. A “Pop Star” doesn’t “need” their votes.

  • girlygirltoo

    Just from S8 I could see Kris or Adam or Matt or Anoop sing the hook on a song collaborating with a rapper. From more recent seasons, Stefano is already collaborating with rappers, isn’t he? From this past season, DeAndre or Joshua could do it. None of them would likely make very convincing rappers, but there are a lot of people who aren’t r&b or rap musicians who sing the hooks on songs these days, so I don’t see why these guys couldn’t do the same thing.

  • elliegrll

    I’m not saying that these guys can’t collaborate with rappers, I’m saying that people’s perception of them is that they wouldn’t be the type of people who would be singing on a rap song.  Just like it’s the perception that those coming off of AI aren’t  pop artists.

    I think that there are enough examples to show that the idols have to overcome this perception issue, but that’s not easy, when they are given songs that are meant to appeal to an idol demo that is either over the age of 40 or under the age of 12. It’s also not easy, when people believe that those age groups make of the alums artists’ core fan base.

  • elliegrll

    The problem is the AI audience wont vote for the image of current pop stars over the southern hometown underdog nobody (unless they are much much better than the competition.) Someone who comes off as a pop “star” would already be perceived as having made it. That would take away the voters belief that their votes are going to make or break the contestants career. A “Pop Star” doesn’t “need” their votes.

    So, how do you explain these people not becoming pop stars once the show was over?  Not winning shouldn’t have stopped them from launching their pop star career.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_F3XJE5GRAUMYR7Y5RYZUW7SC4U md

    “Somebody that has ‘the look.’ The whole fashion vibe. That has the voice and the talent.”

    God forbid she chooses the wrong songs in his eyes.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2K6LL4WPUTAY6TKG2VG3SYFA5M Erlinda

    Okay Randy. Dawg, ya know I’ve been waitng for this for five years in a row. She is in it to win or he is in it to win. Which is this time?

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/TBRH25QFXTK5JOPE4HX7FBI5PE J

    Idol is not a particularly great place to start a pop career. It’s better than nothing, but the audience of idol and pop music is totally opposite. The people that watch idol (avg. age of almost 50) for the most part don’t listen to or buy current pop music.

    There is some idol stigma of course, but mostly it’s just because contestants haven’t produced much catchy, radio friendly pop music that was sufficiently marketed to young people.

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