TORONTO – As an “American Idol” mentor who earned his reputation years before for discovering and signing Taylor Swift, Scott Borchetta has a proven eye for undeveloped talent.

And Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler wasn’t that.

Still, Borchetta approached the multi-scarfed howler out of the blue at a Grammys charity show last year with a direct and unorthodox pitch: he wanted the 67-year-old to make his first-ever solo album, and he wanted the rocker to turn country.

Dream on, right?

“He looked at me like: ‘Who in the hell are you?’” Borchetta recalled.

“He’s super passionate. When he looks at you, he gets right up in your face, looks through your eyes and into your soul.

“And he was just staring at me. He goes: ‘I don’t know who you are. But I’m intrigued.’”

As usual, Borchetta’s timing was fortuitous. This week, Tyler announced he was joining the industry mogul’s Big Machine Label Group. That roster already includes the Band Perry, Florida Georgia Line, Tim McGraw, Reba, Rascal Flatts and, of course, Swift.

Borchetta describes Tyler’s first album, out later this year, in reverent tones: “The music he’s been writing in Nashville is going to hit people upside the head. They don’t see it coming.”

With the current season of “American Idol” down to its last handful of competitors, Borchetta talked to The Canadian Press about his inaugural season on the show, Aerosmith’s country leanings, and Swift’s pop makeover.

CP: Now that you’re down to a smaller field on “Idol,” what do you think is different about this year’s crop?

Borchetta: It was really telling having Kelly Clarkson on the set last week because she has what I call “pirate swagger.” She never let the show get to her. She says what she thinks and she has no filter.

Our biggest stars don’t have a filter.

I’ve been pushing all the contestants to not be so PC. If you’re going to make it past the show, you’ve gotta make a bigger noise. Whatever it is you stand for, it has to be louder.

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CP: You’ve vowed to sign the winner to your label. Can you foresee potentially being interested in more than one contestant?

Borchetta: The key word is potential. It’s incredible seeing what the “Idol” team does on a daily basis — it creates an amazing support system.

So when you take the support system away from them, that is really a huge test. Do they still have the drive to get up every day and go to work? When you don’t have someone knocking on your door and saying it’s time to go, how much inner drive do you have to get up and go, “I gotta get to work, I gotta create this?”

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CP: Some of Aerosmith’s big ’90s hits wouldn’t be out of place on country radio now. How much of an adjustment will Steven be making?

Borchetta: If he were on the phone with us, he would already be singing “Cryin’.”

If you look at some of the melody lines and structure and some of his phrasing — it’s just a step to the left, and we got it.

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CP: It’s been six months since Taylor Swift’s “1989” came out and completed her transition into pop. Are you happy with how it’s gone?

Borchetta: It couldn’t have gone any better. You talk about artistic vision and execution and somebody who has an incredible desire every day to do better work — she’s the definition of all of those things.

She’s preparing for the tour right now, as we speak.

She’s so happy with how the fans have responded. In the 10-plus years we’ve been working together, I’ve never known a happier Taylor Swift.

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Answers have been edited and condensed.

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