American Idol judge Simon Cowell opened up on a recent press call. He discussed this year’s talent, his final season with the show, and more.

Is it the year for a female to take the title? Simon said, “We’ve had a few years now of guys winning the show and I would say there is definitely a better chance of a girl winning the show this year, certainly than last year.” The landscape of women in music right now has shown a trend in women superstars. “You want somebody who represents what is going on at the moment. I’d love to find a Taylor Swift, somebody who’s relevant rather than just a contest winner.”

Each season, American Idol welcomes a variety of mentors from all genres of music. For Simon’s last season with Idol, he suggests, “Lady GaGa because she is the most relevant pop artist in the world at the moment. I think she should be number one. I’ve met her and she’s very smart. I like her.”

We spoke with Simon just after the Top 24 semifinalists were revealed. He gave some insight into how and why they chose the contestants they did. “The reason we put a variety of people through is I think primarily on talent and interest in them as people…I think it’s important that you can recognize talent, personalities, so I think it’s good that we have a mixed bag this year.”

Simon has advice for the Season 9 Top 24. “I think you have to be original. I remember David Cook. The reason he did so well and suddenly came into the front when he competed was that he managed to find interesting versions of well-known songs and did them in his style. I remember the first time he performed a Lionel Richie song, “Hello,” and turned it into a rock song. Or he found the Chris Cornell version of “Billie Jean.” He was smart…Don’t always do the obvious; try to find something which is more unique and interesting to you.”

There have been a handful of rumors about people who are interested in taking Simon’s seat at the judges’ table, so what are the requirements to fill Simon’s shoes? “You have to be good looking,” he joked. “Secondly,” Simon continued, “I think you just have to know what you’re talking about…They really have to have experience so you don’t just criticize, but you can actually offer constructive advice as well.” He said that Ellen DeGeneres was a good choice because “she actually is very responsible for people she has performing on her own show. I know that for a fact because I’ve dealt with her as a record label. And she loves music and she’s been an artist.”

This week, the American Idol live shows are back. Simon prefers doing live TV. “What I always do when I do these live shows is not go in there with any sort of preconceived idea of what it’s going to be like or what people are going to be like,” Simon explained. “Be in the moment and always do what I’ve done in my career, which is to hopefully make the right decisions. If that means disagreeing with people, I don’t have a problem with that; I never have. You are there to be honest, truthful and hopefully give constructive advice. Most importantly, say what you think people at home are thinking.”

Simon won’t be slacking this season; it’s just not in his nature. “I want to go out on a high…It’s my last season and I want it to be successful. I’ll do everything I can to make it happen.”

Add Simon as your MyIdol friend by clicking on “Add to Friends” under his bio picture, here.