L.A. Reid Says It’s Easy To Spot Someone With ‘The X Factor’; Ready To Battle With Simon Cowell This Fall

Former record label executive L.A. Reid is heading to Simon Cowell’s “The X Factor” and he’s looking forward to his Fall FOX reality show bringing competition and drama.

“The judges will all compete with each other,” Reid told Access Hollywood on Monday in New York of the big twist that makes “The X Factor” different from “American Idol.” “We’ll all mentor talent and then we’ll kind of compete with each other, so you take the likes of me and I’m competing with the likes of Simon Cowell and that makes for interesting television.”

Reid confirmed that, like the British version of the show, the judges will each “pick categories” of singers and “then they compete and we compete.”

The former Def Jam Recordings boss said he’s very aware of how to spot someone who has “The X Factor,” thanks to years of experience.

“I usually do… I can tell if they have it and sometimes they really surprise me,” he said.

As for what “The X Factor” is, Reid said someone needs to look no further than artists in the current pop charts.

”[It’s] that special thing that Rihanna has, that special thing that Pink has… Jay-Z, Beyonce… Britney Spears or Lady Gaga, or Justin Bieber,” he said. “[It’s] that special thing that people have that separates them from the pack. We’re looking for those people that have the fire and desire to become superstars”

Reid also suggested that the 12-year-old age limit wasn’t too young.

“It’s a great point whether they can handle it emotionally or not,” he said. “When you’re 12, you’re probably less shy and I think as you get older, you start to get really self-conscious and shy about it. In my career, I have signed many, many artists, not 12 years [old], but] I signed Justin Bieber at 14, Usher at 14… Rihanna at 16, so I’ve done a lot of work with artists that were teens.”

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