Lionel Richie phoned in to On Air With Ryan Seacrest on Friday, October 20, and dished on his experience on the American Idol reboot thus far. The singer, who rounds out the judging panel alongside Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, said heâs been most blown away by how readily available teens are to kickstart their careers.
âItâs kind of frightening the talent we have out here available in America â Iâm talking 15, 16, 17-year-olds walking in with full attitude,â Lionel shared. âAt 15, I was in the sand box. I didnât know what I was doing. These kids can play every instrument and sound like full-grown singers and more importantly theyâre writers.â
Lionel, who rose to fame in 1968 with funk and soul bandmates the Commodores, added that âwhatâs so beautiful is [that they have] no fear.â
He continued: âI had to get used to it. Remember we played every club, every bar across America before we even got close to a studio â they donât know anything about giggin.ââ
The singer said that if they end up holding back a shining star during auditions, its likely because he thinks they need more time to grow.
âThis is a brutal business. This is not a talent show. We are going for idol,â he concluded. âYou have to be mentally prepared as well as talented.â
Listen to the full interview above to hear more from Lionel!