Who Is Scott Borchetta on American Idol?

Scott Borchetta at American Idol press conference (FOX)

Scott Borchetta has been serving as the in-house mentor on American Idol since he replaced Randy Jackson in 2014. Borchetta is famous for discovering Taylor Swift (in 2004, she was 14) and signing her to his at-the-time brand new label, Big Machine Records. Although his father Mike Borchetta was a promoter in Music City too, Scott Borchetta has paid his dues. Prior to Big Machine Records, he worked at the Nashville divisions of DreamWorks Records, MCA Recrods, and MTM Records (as in Mary Tyler Moore) which was later absorbed into RCA Nashville.

Today, Big Machine Records has an impressive artist roster which includes country stars Tim McGraw, Jennifer Nettles, Steven Tyler (yes, country), and Rascal Flatts in addition to Swift, Cheap Trick, Who Is Fancy, and American Idol Season 14 winner Nick Fradiani. When not making music, Borchetta can be seen driving a race car. He said, “When I started Big Machine, my main investor and my first artists asked me to give [racing] up because it’s so dangerous.” American Idol airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8pm on FOX.