Bebe Rexha and Jimmie Allen on Being 'American Idol' Mentors After Previously Auditioning (Exclusive)

etonline.com:

Bebe Rexha and Jimmie Allen are returning to their roots. ET's Lauren Zima spoke to the musicians at Disney's Aulani Resort & Spa in Kapolei, Hawaii, where the pair were serving as mentors on , years after they each auditioned for the singing competition series.«It's hard, 'cause I feel like we actually care about the future generations of music of all genres,» Allen said of their mentoring gig. «I feel like the time we put in now ,can really help shape them as the artist they wanna be one day, to where they continue the legacy of making great music, no matter what genre it is.»Both Rexha and Allen know what it's like to be on the show, with Allen making it to the top 40 the year he auditioned.«2000.

Season 10, the year Scotty McCreery won. I made it to the top 40 that year,» Allen said of his season 10 experience. «Oh, I didn't even make anything,» Rexha added with a chuckle.As far as what Allen said he would tell this year's contestants about navigating the  process? «Enjoy it.»«I would just tell 'em to enjoy it,» he shared. «Don't really look at it as a competition.»Allen continued, «It's a learning experience, you know what I mean.

Make the best out of this opportunity, 'cause I told her [Rexha], I said look, you've been given this platform that millions of people are watching and they made it to the top 24, so they actually made it to perform live, so it's not really about impressing me, it's not really even about impressing the judges, it's about you slowly making fans with every performance you have and getting to know you as a person in interviews, but getting to know you as an artist through your performance.»Rexha on the other hand, said wants to give the contestants tips they can take with them long after the.