Simon Cowell hails "diva" Mariah Carey, "drama queen" Elton John

Simon Cowell has said that Mariah Carey is his definition of a diva.

The X Factor USA judge joined fellow panelists Paula Abdul, LA Reid and Nicole Scherzinger in discussing their favourite artists for a Fox All Access radio special.

"Mariah is everything you want a diva to be," Cowell said during The X Factor: The Judges' Ultimate Picks. "To me if you look in the dictionary under diva it says see Mariah Carey.

"She gets it and it's everything a star should be. Great, great, great singer, unbelievable songwriter and I just adore her."

Cowell, who will be aided by Carey during the Judges' Houses stage of the competition, continued: "I absolutely love her, I love everything about her and she is a kind person but she is also very competitive and I like that and that's what makes her special."



The 51-year-old music mogul also highlighted Sir Elton John for praise, naming him his favourite "drama queen".

"Elton comes to mind because he is unpredictable, he's lasted the decades, he's still relevant now, he's a pain in the ass, he's a drama queen, he's interesting and he's a brilliant songwriter," Cowell said.

The X Factor USA's two-night premiere kicks off on Wednesday, September 21 and Thursday, September 22 at 8pm ET on Fox.

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Watch a preview of The X Factor USA below: