Even though he’s signed on as a judge on Simon Cowell’s “X Factor,” it’s unlikely that anyone thought L.A. Reid, who left his post at the helm of Island Def Jam last month, would be out of the music business for long. And sure enough, in an interview with Hot 97’s Angie Martinez Tuesday night (via Nah Right), he confirmed that another label gig is in his future and he’ll be announcing his plans “in a little while.”
Reid told Martinez that he’s left the Universal building — “I’m packed up and I’m sad and I’m out” — and then spoke briefly about his plans.
L.A. Reid Leaving Def Jam to Become ‘X Factor’ Judge
“Listen, I’m nobody’s fool, I didn’t give up my day job,” he said. “I just left, I had to leave Universal Music Group and try my hat on someplace else, that we’ll announce, well… we’ll announce that in a little while.”
He confirmed Martinez’s question that he did not leave the label because he’s taking the “X Factor” job, saying the two were not directly connected. “It’s a little bit of a shift,” he said.
“You’re not done with me yet,” he stressed. “I’m telling you the truth: I have not been shipped off to TV land. I am a record executive and I shall be right there in your face with my records.”
Many have speculated that Reid will join his former Universal boss Doug Morris, who takes over as CEO of Sony Music Entertainment on July 1.