Despite unusually cold temperatures and rain, fans lined up for Nick Cannon’s 2023 “Future Superstar Tour” on Saturday (Feb. 25) night in Los Angeles. The event kicked off the start of a 24-city trek across North America. For the next couple of months, the best and brightest emerging talent will travel the United States and Canada with the industry veteran as they learn the ropes and show audiences why they’re future superstars.

The Feb. 25 show was held at The Wiltern Theatre on Wilshire Boulevard. Upon entering the venue, attendees were given the option to fill up on drinks and food from the concession area before enjoying the evening. Cannon partnered with BET, the Black Music Action Coalition and Vibe to film the festivities, which will air as a 10-episode series showcasing their road to stardom. Performers included “Snatched” hitmaker Big Boss Vette; JD McCrary, who voiced Young Simba in the 2019 live-action remake of The Lion King starring Beyoncé; POP MONEY, a teen boy group Cannon discovered and mentors; and more!

But it wasn’t just Cannon’s artists who hit the stage. The “Wild ’N Out” host also provided a wealth of entertainment for those looking to get involved in the music industry. During the evening, the Drumline actor brought out legendary record executive L.A. Reid. It didn’t stop there, Cannon also held a Q&A where audience members got the chance to ask industry insiders for career advice. The panel featured Sujit Kundu (founder and CEO of SKAM Artist, a full-service agency initially specializing in DJs); Datwon Thomas (editor-in-chief of Vibe magazine); Lydia Asrat (manager and publicist for artists like Doja Cat and Coco Jones); and Amber Grimes (label exec at LVRN).

After enjoying the show, REVOLT caught up with “The Masked Singer” host about how the “Future Superstar Tour” came to be. Read our exclusive conversation with Nick Cannon below!

Your work ethic is incredible. This isn’t an event you just put your name on — you were up there DJing the whole night.

(Laughs) The whole night. I’m up there working harder than anybody, trying to make sure everybody’s music is right. Then you gotta realize, too, most of these acts, I’m helping [to] develop. So I gotta pay attention to what they’re doing right, the critiques they gotta do for the next show and stuff. You know, a lot of them are kids. It’s really just taking it to that next level and trying to help them cultivate what they gotta do while I keep the music going, while I keep the stage rocking, being in sync with the stage manager, and [being a daddy to my own kids] back here.

You had POP MONEY out there throwing roses to the fans!

Yeah, they was going up, right?

You’ve also had a hand in Kehlani and H.E.R.’s success. How did you develop an eye for discovering talent?

Yeah, I mean a bunch of others, too. Even when we was talking with L.A. Reid tonight — he gave me the opportunity to help develop Justin Bieber and a couple of other people when he was running Island Def Jam, so I just been in it for a minute, and this is an opportunity now for people to actually see the acts that I’ve been developing over the last couple of decades. So this is an opportunity for me to step out to the forefront as a music executive, a music man to the cats that I look up to like the Quincy Joneses and the L.A. Reids.

With you being so busy in radio, TV, film and more, what does a day off look like for Nick Cannon?

I don’t know (laughs). But realistically, a day off is time with my kids. When I can spend a whole day, vacation and focus on them, that’s the best day off.