Akon knew Lady Gaga would be a superstar when he first discovered her
Akon helped break Lady Gaga in 2007.
Akon said Lady Gaga had "the glow" of a superstar when he first discovered her.
The 53-year-old singer could instinctively sense that 40-year-old Gaga - real name Stefani Germanotta - would become a pop megastar before he helped sign her to a joint deal with Interscope Records and his KonLive Distribution in 2007.
Akon - real name Aliaune Thiam - appeared on Monday's (18.05.26's) edition of Capital XTRA Breakfast with Robert Bruce and Shayna Marie, where the latter asked the Don't Matter hitmaker for whom the glow is evident.
Akon replied: "Oh, Gaga. For sure. She had the glow immediately. Like, it was one of them things."
The star also helped kick-start the music career of 41-year-old singer T-Pain - real name Faheem Najm.
Akon continued: "Like, crazy enough, T-Pain had that glow. Like, 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."
The five-time Grammy nominee "can't really explain" why he can instinctively sense that a rising artist has a bright career ahead of them.
He explained: "When you see a star, you just know; it's almost like it's a God-given, like, aura that just comes with them, you know?
"It's no different from when I went to Nigeria and saw WizKid. I was like, ‘This kid is a star. Why? I don't know, he's just a star. I'm telling you, this kid's a star.'
"You just know it. 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! There's a certain attraction that comes with certain artists that you just know, man, give them a few elements and a platform, they're out of here, you know? So, I kind of see that."
Akon can work out if a musician has "the glow" by their work ethic.
The Smack That performer continued: "But then the second thing I look for is the work ethic. Because if you’re a star and you just lazy, or you got talent, and you ain't putting the work in, and you really ain't going nowhere. So, it's a waste of time."
Listen to Capital XTRA Breakfast with Robert Bruce and Shayna Marie weekdays from 6.30am to 10.00am across the UK and on YouTube.
Listen to Fully Reloaded with Akon on Capital XTRA on Monday, May 25, from 11am to 1.00pm across the UK and on YouTube.
