L.A. Reid's Biggest Blunder was Letting Gaga Go from Def Jam Records

[Jacob Marley 538]

Legendary record executive L.A. Reid opened up to ET about one of his biggest career blunders, missing out on Lady Gaga's success.

"It was difficult seeing Lady Gaga become Lady Gaga," Reid told ET.

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According to Reid, after seeing Gaga perform for the first time, he told her she would change music and signed her to his label. However, things went south when Reid listened to her demo tape. He says hearing the tape made him fall out of love with her as an artist and the label dropped her.

"Before you knew it, it was Gaga's world!" Reid recalled.

But before you start to feel too bad for L.A. Reid, don't forget that he's discovered his fair share of pop icons. He signed a 14-year-old Justin Bieber to his former Island Def Jam record label, orchestrated Mariah Carey's comeback and launched the careers of Rihanna, Usher and Pink.

NEWS: Rihanna Drops 'ANTI' in Full After Album Leaks

In his new book, Sing to Me: My Story Of Making Music, Finding Magic, and Searching for Who's Next, Reid also discusses his role in Whitney Houston's infamous 2002 interview with Diane Sawyer.

The sitdown created the "crack is whack" soundbite that would be played for years to come, which Reid regrets.

"I felt that I had failed Whitney, honestly, because it was something that I helped to arrange," he said. "Once I watched her do the interview, I felt like that wasn't quite the right thing to do. I didn't feel like I protected her."

Sing to Me is available now.

 

L.A. Reid's Biggest Blunder

 

(Mods - If this isn't news, my apologies.)

[Quartz 12,534]

He's been singing the same tune since forever, don't know why media keep on asking these gaga questions. Anyway, I'm really curious as to why they fell out of love with her in the first place.

[Angel Down 2,807]

2 minutes ago, hellothing said:

He's been singing the same tune since forever, don't know why media keep on asking these gaga questions. Anyway, I'm really curious as to why they fell out of love with her in the first place.

It doesn't surprise me since he signed Rihanna and Justin Bieber.. He was definitely looking for something less complex and less conceptual. Something which would bring certain success. Now it's too late. Too bad for him. Too good for Gaga 

[Serendipity 7,821]

"NEWS: Rihanna Drops 'ANTI' in Full After Album Leaks"

 

[Quartz 12,534]

2 minutes ago, Black Salvatore said:

It doesn't surprise me since he signed Rihanna and Justin Bieber.. He was definitely looking for something less complex and less conceptual. Something which would bring certain success. Now it's too late. Too bad for him. Too good for Gaga 

As much as I would like to agree, Rihanna is a little more complex than her contemporaries. Maybe she was not sexy enough?

[Dominic 11,922]

This is old news but I think he was looking for someone he could mold and sculpt whereas Gaga has always stayed true to her vision. 

[Pierre 10,480]

Yaaaaas, miss ha! 

[RAMROD 109,354]

Go cry in your sleep, L.A.Reid :fan:

Now Rihanna, too, got away from him.

[Andy McQueen 4,484]

Who's the little mouse now? 

 

[KURUSHITOVSKA 20,451]

You lost her. I'm happy that she got dropped bc I don't think they would let her have the artistical freedom she's had in Interscope. Dont want no paper gangsta.

[Mobster 14,604]

Such a businessman. Making a business out of rejecting Gaga, mentioning her everytime he has to promote something.

Good thing Gaga is in better hands, her music comes first. Can't say the same for many of the artists he's signed over the past few years.

[gagzus 15,849]

She'd be more of the white girl who does urban pop if she stayed at Def Jam tbh, plus from what he said in the interview video; she auditioned with a song on the piano but then he heard her glamrock influenced pop songs (aka not urban and not r&b which at the time was the trend) and dropped her. But she says he dropped her without ever meeting her so idk

[Bradley 59,023]

I actually prefer Interscope artists. Most of Interscope artists are usually unique in their own way and less commercial.

[Serendipity 7,821]

11 minutes ago, Mobster said:

Making a business out of rejecting Gaga, mentioning her everytime he has to promote something.

no

 

as far as I can tell he never even mentioned any existence of her while in a Mariah related work

[yASSsss 35,510]