Happy New Year, everybody!
[APPLAUSE AND CHEERING]
Hey Charlie, welcome.
This is the first time on the show.
You've had many artists of yours on the show--
DNCE, you've had Nicki Minaj.
We had a lot of people on the show,
but I think people don't know, now you're suddenly
in front of the camera.
It's great to be here.
We had Ariana on, of course, and Demi Lovato.
We were in Miami with these guys.
It's great to be here and great to be
a part of a bunch of icons around us
to try to do great in music.
What a great group.
Now, are you sober?
I mean, it's January 3rd, so are you sober?
I mean, can you tell what's really going on?
[LAUGHTER]
Yeah, really.
You know what's going on.
I'm here.
I made it.
It was rough, but I made it.
And I feel great.
My energy's positive, and I think
it's going to be a great year for all of us.
That's right.
[APPLAUSE AND CHEERING]
But I am all [INAUDIBLE].
Because I was going to say, you two hosted a show in Miami
for New Year's Eve, right?
Yeah.
It was at Puff Daddy's house.
If you haven't been to Puff Daddy's house,
is always the greatest party ever.
But this New Year's Eve was so special.
Puff had black carpet and the sound system.
He actually convinced me to get on the roof.
And we brought in the countdown, you
know, the 10, 9, 8, you know [INAUDIBLE]..
And then I realized I could fall off this roof.
[LAUGHTER]
So I'm like, Khaled, you've gotta stay focused.
Puff is Puff, Khaled is Khaled.
He was close, but that's his house.
So he knew the certain steps, because that's his house.
So I just took it easy from the back side,
you know what I'm saying?
Let me count down from here just to be safe,
so I can be on the Ellen show.
Yeah.
Well, thank you for doing that.
[LAUGHTER]
Now, were they invited?
Did you all go?
I wasn't invited.
Were you all?
Were you there?
I flew family in, so I couldn't leave.
Oh, so you had to stay there.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
I was invited, though.
I was not invited.
I was invited.
You were invited?
You changed your number.
Uh-uh.
[LAUGHTER]
You got a new email.
No.
I was asleep.
You changed your assistants.
I was asleep by 10 o'clock.
I was at home asleep by 10 o'clock.
OK, so first of all, congratulations.
You got engaged.
[APPLAUSE AND CHEERING]
I did!
You did.
He's a good guy.
He's so good.
He's a good guy.
I'm so happy for you.
OK, so explain this show.
Who wants to explain the show?
I can explain it.
All right.
We begin where all other competition shows end
with the final four.
And everybody that's in the final four, they get a seat.
And then they could get challenged by anybody
that's out there in America.
You can come and challenge their seat.
So it's like, Ellen, you have a seat.
I come on, and I say, Ellen, I know I could sing way better
than you.
I'm challenging you for your seat.
And then they battle like vocal gladiators.
It's something you've never seen before.
It's something that's going to disrupt
the whole game of these singing competition shows,
or else we wouldn't be sitting here.
We want everybody to tune in January 4 for The Four on Fox.
Whew!
And then the audience votes.
Then the audience votes.
The audience votes for the final battle.
All right.
And Fergie, you are not a judge, you are the host.
Yes.
Yeah, the audience votes.
Hostess with the mostest.
Yes.
And how is that?
It's great.
I'm in the middle of it all.
I'm in the middle of the arena.
I'm right next to the artist, the challengers.
And I've been there, so I really feel their pain.
When they get up there, and there's nerves,
I can feel the shaking.
I hear the breathing.
So I really feel for these people.
I'm almost like the mommy, the mutha right there,
hugging all of them, because I really feel what's going on.
Yeah, well you need to be.
As a host you have to actually--
But I'm staring at these guys, and let me say,
this isn't the make you feel good, warm and fuzzy show.
This is really tough love, this panel.
I'm looking at them, and they all really
have intelligent, different perspectives to bring to it.
So it's really exciting.
Yeah, well, I would not--
I think that you're probably kinder.
I don't know Charlie.
I don't know what your personality is.
That's what you would think.
It's opposite.
Really
He's the Simon.
I'm the nice one.
I would think these two, and especially you,
because your MTV show that you had,
Making the Band-- is that what it's called?
Right?
Yes.
You're tough on people.
So I would think that people would be frightened of you.
You know something?
I've evolved since then.
So when people see me, what they see is hope and wisdom.
[LAUGHTER]
They don't get as intimidated.
They see hope and wisdom, and I give it to them that way
and in a true sense.
So it's a different type of vibe for me,
because it's like, I just want to bring out the best in you.
I just want you to be the greatest.
And the thing about the show that's different than all
the other shows is that y'all know what the prize is.
Us.
We're the prize.
[APPLAUSE AND CHEERING]
We actually become the team that's
involved in molding and shaping your career.
So it's not just a record deal that we sta--
All of you--
It's all of us together.
--giving the advice.
Wow.
That's why The Four's gonna be number one!
[APPLAUSE AND CHEERING]
We're back with the cast of The Four,
which is going to be on Fox January 4.
January 4.
Yep.
All right.
So all of you have careers, and you're busy,
and yet, you chose to do this.
So I would think you really believe in it.
You probably, DJ Khaled, want your son
to be on the show at some point.
Absolutely.
What's so amazing about The Four is that it's exciting.
AUDIENCE: Ahh!
Oh, what happened?
Look at his little bling.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
I love you.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
That's a young icon.
That's my son, my biggest blessing in--
god, it's the greatest.
I love you.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
Actually, he executive-produced your album.
He executive-produced my album, by the way.
It went platinum.
All the fans, thank you so much.
[APPLAUSE AND CHEERING]
But Asahd is definitely going to be on the show.
He's going to be on the show, but you have to watch it.
Be ready for surprises, excitement.
This is really the greatest music competition show.
And we want all the singers.
We want all the rappers too.
Everybody who's watching The Four,
music.com, you can submit your music.
What I'm excited about the show is
that we're going to change people's lives, giving them
an opportunity.
When you hit that stage, they have an opportunity
to be the next superstar, God willing.
You never know, an icon, they could be right here
on this Ellen show.
I'm excited to see somebody's life changed for the good.
Because yes.
I would just think that you, especially you, you
are extremely busy.
And for you to take time out to do something like this,
there must be something really more to it
than just wanting to help, because you would help people
in a lot of different ways.
Yeah.
My foundation, my start is as a music man,
so that will never leave me.
And to have this opportunity to really give somebody a chance
and to then be a part of their team, that's
the thing that really got me is that I get
to be a part of their careers.
And I get to see somebody flourish through our guidance.
And also the idea was so disruptive,
and I like disruption.
It was a way for me to kind of get back in music
and help somebody out that I don't even know.
Yeah.
Who's been told--
I would think everybody's been told that you're not
going to make it, right?
Have we all been told--
Absolutely.
--you're not gonna make it?
Oh my gosh.
Yes.
We actually say that on the show.
Yeah, I couldn't even--
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
--then I got denied at 19.
What's that?
I told the 19-year when we said goodbye to her that I got
told no with the song "Bass" in my hands.
That was just a cute little song about being chubby.
And I was like, OK, we'll see.
Yeah, we'll see about that.
Yeah.
Also we can give somebody what other shows can't, and that's
to be the iHeartRadio's On the Verge artist.
And I know as much as anybody how hard it is to be--
and you know as well, how hard it
is to get your song on all those radio stations.
And iHeart has radio stations all across the United States.