Akon, who had his own chart success with hits such as Lonely and Smack That, has revealed that Lady Gaga showed undeniable superstar potential from the moment he first discovered her.
Speaking during an appearance on Capital XTRA’s Breakfast show with Robert Bruce and Shayna Marie, the multi-platinum artist and executive reflected on his history of developing major artists including T-Pain and French Montana.
Akon says true star quality is impossible to fake
During the interview, Akon was asked how he identifies artists with long-term superstar potential.
According to the producer, genuine charisma is something instinctive rather than manufactured.
“That’s something you can’t really explain. Like, when you see a star, you just know. You just know.”
“Like, it’s almost like it’s a God-given, like, aura that just comes with them.”
Akon explained that even among talented performers, some naturally command more attention than others.
“Even when stars stand next to each other, some have larger glows than others.”
“One may be more talented, but the other one just glow harder!”
Lady Gaga stood out immediately, says Akon
When asked which artist instantly stood out to him, Akon pointed directly to Lady Gaga.
“Oh, Gaga. For sure.”
“She had the glow immediately. Like, it was one of them things.”
Before becoming one of the world’s biggest pop stars, Gaga was signed to Akon’s KonLive Distribution imprint through Interscope Records.
Akon played a major role in helping launch her early career during the late 2000s, before the release of her breakthrough debut album The Fame.
That project spawned major hits including Just Dance and Poker Face, helping transform Gaga into one of pop’s defining artists of the modern era.
T-Pain also had a unique presence despite label doubts
Akon also discussed signing T-Pain, revealing that many record labels initially passed on the artist because they did not believe he had the right image.
“Crazy enough, T-Pain had that glow.”
“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.”
Despite industry hesitation, Akon said he immediately saw something different.
“But I didn’t understand why he was glowing to me.”
T-Pain would later become one of the most influential artists of the 2000s, helping popularise Auto-Tune-driven melodic rap and R&B across mainstream music.
Akon says work ethic matters as much as talent
While discussing artist development, Akon stressed that natural charisma alone is not enough to sustain a career.
According to the producer, discipline and commitment ultimately separate long-term stars from short-lived talent.
“The second thing I look for is the work ethic.”
“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.”
Watch Stefani Germanotta aka Lady Gaga before she was famous in these two videos from 2005 and 2006
