In an insightful appearance on Capital XTRA Breakfast with Robert Bruce and Shayna Marie this morning, multi-platinum singer, producer, and businessman Akon opened up about his legendary eye for talent. Discussing his extensive history of launching global icons, the music mogul revealed that pop superstar Lady Gaga possessed an unmistakable, immediate star quality the moment he discovered her.
During the interview, co-host Shayna Marie pressed Akon on how he identifies the specific "star quality" that defined early signees like Lady Gaga, T-Pain, and French Montana. Akon explained that true charisma is an innate, almost spiritual attribute. "That's something you can't really explain. Like, when you see a star, you just know. You just know," he shared. "Like, it's almost like it's a God-given, like, aura that just comes with them, you know?"
Akon elaborated on this visual magnetism, comparing how different performers command a room. "Even when stars stand next to each other, some have larger glows than others. But then there's talents that separate them. One may be more talented, but the other one just glow harder!" when asked specifically who possessed that undeniable brilliance from the start, Akon answered without hesitation: "Oh, Gaga. For sure. She had the glow immediately. Like, it was one of them things."
The mogul noted that hitmaker T-Pain shared a similar, albeit unexpected, magnetic presence. "Crazy enough, T-Pain had that glow," Akon recalled. "Because it was funny, because when he first came in, like, no labels wanted to touch him, because they felt like he didn’t have the look. But I didn't understand why he was glowing to me."
However, Akon emphasized that a natural aura is only half the battle, citing dedication as the ultimate deciding factor for long-term success. "The second thing I look for is the work ethic," he concluded. "Because if you a star and you just lazy, or you got talent, and you ain't putting the work in, then you really ain't going nowhere. So, it's a waste of time."
Fans can hear more from the music legend when he returns to the station for a special Fully Reloaded takeover on Capital XTRA this coming bank holiday Monday, May 25.
