MARIAH CAREY - REID: 'I NEVER GAVE UP ON MARIAH OR JANET'

REID: 'I NEVER GAVE UP ON MARIAH OR JANET'

Record executive ANTONIO 'L.A.' REID is confident he can revive the careers of R+B singers MARIAH CAREY and JANET JACKSON - because he never stopped believing in their star power. The Island Def Jam boss was eager to sign both artists to his label - despite the commercial failure of their respective albums released by Virgin Records. After signing Carey in 2002, her subsequent debut with Island, The Emancipation Of Mimi, has gone on to sell more than 10 million copies worldwide - and Reid is convinced Jackson's upcoming album Discipline will have similar success. He says, "I firmly believe in truly talented people, particularly talented superstars. I believe if you have the talent, it's just a question of someone refining it and helping to make the right creative decisions. "Talent always wins in the end; you're never over. As a matter of fact, I find that the marketplace generally is much healthier for icons than it might be for new artists, and I think that has been proven for many artists. "When you look at the Eagles' success or the recent Led Zeppelin success, it tells me that people who grew up on these artists always love them, they just want them to make the right record. So I never really give up on them."