X Factor‘s Josh Levi says Simon isn’t as mean as you think

Simon Cowell is known for his brash, honest and sometimes rude personality, but he might have softened up in recent years according to X Factor contestant Josh Levi. During his visit to the 2014 Teen Choice Awards red carpet, the singing sensation spoke with SheKnows about Cowell, the show’s ill-fated cancellation and how he plans to woo Kendall and Kylie Jenner.

“You can go on there and be yourself and sing to America every week, and that’s what I love and I got to do that every week,” Levi gushed about his time spent on Team Paulina Rubio during X Factor. Despite finishing in seventh place on the show, it sounds like the Houston-based singer had the time of his life, describing the show as “a great platform” to show off his talents.

Levi explained that his mentor, Paulina Rubio, served as a perfect match because she was so versatile with her own talents. “She sings and dances, so she helped me with that also,” he confessed. When asked about his take on Cowell, the former reality contestant had surprisingly good words to share about the British heavyweight, saying, “He’s nice if he likes you and luckily, he liked me.”

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Levi plans to head overseas to London later this year and is currently in the middle of sorting through pending deals, so you can expect to hear more of the singer in the near future. Two females Levi hopes to hear from even sooner are none other than Kendall and Kylie Jenner. When asked about the duo’s appearance at the award ceremony, Levi confessed that he saw them prior to speaking with SheKnows. “Hopefully, I’ll see them again. I wasn’t really breathing when I was looking at them,” he said.

As for how he plans to woo the celebrity sisters, Levi revealed his master plan. “Let’s set something up so I can sing to you,” he told us.