‘American Idol’ Judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, And Luke Bryan Reveal New Secrets On Reboot
American Idol is back! The reboot's new team of Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Ryan Seacrest just gave a teaser for the music reality show's latest chapter.
A Brand New Start
Nearly two years after singer-songwriter Trent Harmon was crowned the show's winner, American Idol is back on television. The original singing competition that has created household names such as Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, and Adam Lambert has found a new home: the ABC Television Network.
Instead of the likes of Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and Jennifer Lopez searching for undiscovered talent, ABC recruited Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Kennedy Center Honoree Lionel Richie to find the next singing sensation.
No Bad Singers Allowed
Throughout the prime years of American Idol's run on the Fox Broadcast Network, casual fans and show newcomers had looked forward to seeing ambitious vocalists showcase their "singing skills." While William Hung and General Larry "Pants on the Ground" Platt enjoyed a brief 15-minute fame through their auditions, the ABC version of the show now has a new focus.
"It doesn't feel comfortable to put borderline unstable people up on stage and laugh at them," said Trish Kinane, the American Idol showrunner.
Kinane also explained that viewers now know about the process that takes place to face Perry, Bryan, and Richie at the Judges' Auditions. She said that a slew of show producers make the final decisions on who makes it to the first round of the process.
Idol's Lofty Goal
Katy Perry, who was the first judge be announced for the reboot, stated that the newest incarnation of the series is to find a genuine superstar.
"Literally, we are wasting our time if we do not find a star. America needs another star. They need a real legit 'American Idol," said Perry.
All the judges were unanimous in their decision that they took their jobs very seriously and wanted only the best talent to face America when the show enters its live rounds.
The Other Singing Competitions
American Idol returns to the television world in a very competitive state of performance and talent-based competitions. FOX's replacement for the show, The Four: Battle for Stardom, might be the singing version of The Hunger Games with experts Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Republic Records president Charlie Walk alternating as the show's Simon Cowell.
Meanwhile, Cowell is expected to begin his third season of judging on the NBC summer talent competition series, America's Got Talent. Since the Got Talent creator joined the show in 2016, the past two winners Grace VanderWaal and Darci Lynne Farmer have had some singing component in their acts.
American Idol will also have to worry about longtime competitor The Voice. The NBC singing competition now has recruited American Idol's original success story, Kelly Clarkson, as one of their new coaches.
American Idol is expected to return to the airwaves on Sunday, March 11, on ABC.
