Luke Bryan’s country music fame is about to be extended into TV stardom. The “Light It Up” singer will serve as one of the judges for Season 16 of American Idol, alongside Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. The show will kick off on March 11, only one month into his 2018 What Makes You Country Tour.
“This does feel like maybe the busiest I’ve ever been,” Bryan tells PopCulture.com. “But, it’s a different kind of busy. There are phases of your career, getting your career started, where exhaustion isn’t even the proper word to describe it — when you’re taking red-eye flights, and trying to sleep in the middle seat, on a commercial flight. It’s a different kind of busy, but it’s fun. I’m having fun with it.”
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With the American Idol auditions occurring earlier this year, Bryan says he’s already been amazed at how many gifted singers there are that remain unknown.
“My biggest surprises are how there’s still hidden talent in the world,” Bryan acknowledges. “There are these voices that are paired with these unassuming characters, that walk in and just, the second they open their mouth, it’s like God has made that person a singer. And that’s what’s inspiring about trying to find the next American Idol. It’s those people that truly walk in and the canvas is blank and then the second they open their mouth, you can visualize and see everything, see the future for them, and it’s pretty inspiring.”
Before the busyness of next year kicks in, Bryan is looking forward to some much-needed time at home with his family during the Christmas season.
“I will be certainly looking forward to having some time off for the holidays,” admits the singer. “I know I’m certainly gonna be out there a lot, working with Idol and my tour, and stuff that we’ve got planned, and the venues that I know we’re going to put on the tour. So I could almost say that this will be the biggest year of my life. I’m looking forward to getting into it. We’re going to Australia for the first time. I’m so excited to be going down there. That’s all before the end of March, so who knows what’s going to happen come April and the rest of the year.”
Season 16 of American Idol will air for the first time on ABC. A list of all of Bryan’s upcoming shows is available on his website.
Bryan’s upcoming album, What Makes You Country, will be available this Friday, Dec. 8. The record is available for pre-order on Amazon and iTunes.
