The worst job Robin Thicke's ever had is one that gave restaurant patrons a performance from the singer, plus a chicken dinner, for the price of $22.  "It was a humbling experience," Robin tells the U.K.'s Metro newspaper.

But there's another job that Robin says he didn't "care" for -- judging the singing competition Duets.  "Everyone was wonderful and it was a great environment but I found it soulless and felt it was sucking my artistic integrity from me," Robin explains.

The show drew big names in its first season, including John Legend and Kelly Clarkson, who coached aspiring music stars alongside Robin.  They sang alongside contestants on each episode, and Robin says that's why the series was attractive to him.

"It gave me the opportunity to sing in front of millions of people on TV every week.  I did it because it paid well," he says.  Robin tells Metro that hopefully he'll be "rich enough" off sales from his upcoming Blurred Lines album that he won't have to do another singing competition show.

While he's said previously that he enjoyed mentoring on Duets, Robin explains that contestants sometimes mistakenly believe that they'll be the next Beyonce.  "But it doesn’t work like that," he says. "Beyonce worked on her craft for ten years before she even put a song out."

Shows like Duets give people a chance to be seen and heard Robin says, "but then the show ends and it’s hard to keep a career going."

In addition to releasing his new album, Robin recently wrote and directed a short film.  It focuses on a matter close to Robin: the U.S. health care system.  "There was a story last year about a man who shot and killed his wife after 40 years of marriage because they were being evicted because she’d been sick with cancer and they’d spent all their money on health care," Robin recalls.  He says he's known people who've lost their life savings trying to pay for medical treatments, and Robin says that's "unfair."

His Blurred Lines album is expected in stores July 9.