Barry Manilow fears for TV talent show stars who find sudden fame

Written on June 23, 2011 – 11:06 am | by Cameron Hussey

WENN

Veteran singer Barry Manilow worries that singers who find fame on reality shows will struggle to handle stardom, as they’ve been thrust into the spotlight too quickly.

Manilow, who boasts a career spanning five decades, has appeared as a star mentor on “American Idol” several times, but says he’s concerned contestants are finding fame too fast.

“I get worried for the kids who wind up in the spotlight without having paid their dues,” Manilow said on “Piers Morgan Tonight.” “You see it every week on ‘American Idol’ and ‘The X Factor.’ They do have talent, but before you know it, they are household names and they haven’t worked in the bars we worked in, they haven’t played the bar mitzvahs, they haven’t gotten dressed in the men’s rooms.

“It’s silly. I was in a dressing room share [before a show] and they had this nice young girl I saw on TV a couple of weeks before – they were putting more lip gloss on her, she had her hair up, she was wearing Armani, and I went, ‘Woah, how is she going to handle this?’”

But Manilow is keen to carry on passing on his advice to the younger singers. “I would do that every day if I could,” he said. “I’ve learned so much over these past million years, and I’d love to pass it down. I’m really good at it now, putting big shows together, small shows together, making records, performing. I really know how to do it. I would really love the opportunity to pass it down. I loved doing ‘American Idol.’”

The 68-year-old also hopes fame doesn’t go to the up-and-coming singers’ heads: “I do worry about that. This being famous is a very dangerous thing to do if you are not grounded. It’s a drug. I know that feeling — audience applause and telling you you’re doing great, fantastic, you’re the greatest.”

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