It's Official: Scott Borchetta Joins American Idol 14 as Mentor
Update: It's official: Scott Borchetta is the new mentor of American Idol, replacing Randy Jackson. FOX made the announcement today, saying:
“Borchetta’s Big Machine Records will partner with 19 Entertainment and Universal Music Group to oversee the launch of his/her recording career. The winner will join Borchetta’s record label roster of superstar talent, including global pop star Taylor Swift, whom he discovered at the age of 14, as well as Tim McGraw, Reba, Rascal Flatts, Florida Georgia Line and The Band Perry.”
Borchetta said:
"There’s only one reason I’m doing this: American Idol has proven again and again that it can launch superstars. I believe that working with these young artists the same way we work with new artists at the Big Machine Label Group will help the next American Idol be as prepared as possible to continue the tradition of creating new superstars. The entire label group will be invested and we look forward to bringing our energy, focus and know-how to help develop this young talent at the highest levels."
Yup, American Idol makes superstars.
I cannot wait for Scott Borchetta to discover the next Candice Glover and Caleb Johnson!
[-- Update written by Rickey]
https://twitter.com/scottborchetta/status/540383731513835521
Previous:
Scott Borchetta, the man who mentored Taylor Swift, is headed to American Idol to do the same thing for the contestants of the 14th season.
Despite earlier reports that the in-house mentor for Season 14 would be Columbia Records Senior Vice President Teresa LaBarbera-Whites, The Hollywood Reporter has a source that is now saying the role will be filled by Borchetta, the President and CEO of Big Machine Label group.
If the intention by FOX is to test the waters by leaking names to gauge public reaction, I'm not sure this is a plan that will work, since I don't think casual, mainstream audiences have any idea who either of these people are. Then again, I suppose the same could be said for just about any executive prior to their joining the show, whether Jimmy Iovine or Randy Jackson or even Simon Cowell (and how quickly we forget Kara DioGuardi).
Of course, Borchetta wouldn't exactly be a terrible choice, considering his experience with reality TV contestants. The Voice Season 4 winner Danielle Bradbery is on his label, as his Season Two finalist RaeLynn, who performed her new single, “God Made Girls,” on The Voice results show just last night.
However, Borchetta does have a bit of a bad history with the franchise, having ticked off Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson after Taylor Swift's performance at the 52nd Grammy Awards. "This is not American Idol. This is not a competition of getting up and seeing who can sing the highest note," he said, defending Swift. "This is about a true artist and writer and communicator. It’s not about that technically perfect performance."
Clarkson wrote Borchetta a letter in response, stating, "We not only hit the high notes, you forgot to mention we generally hit the ‘right’ notes as well." Clarkson continued, "Every artist has a bad performance or two and that is understandable, but throwing blame will not make the situation at hand any better."
So yeah, Borchetta is already pretty opinionated, and it seems to strike a chord with some in the industry. The irony, of course, is that he's now going to be on the show he's criticized. That is, if this isn't another rumor destined to be proven false in the coming weeks. You could probably fill a book with all the judging/mentoring plans that fell through.
I guess we'll find out soon enough. American Idol 14 premieres January 7 on FOX.
Credit: Eric Henderson/Reuters