American Idol might have a new home when it debuts in March, but that doesn’t mean its judges are any friendlier. In fact, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan are already feuding — but it’s nothing like the infamous Mariah Carey–Nicki Minaj season.
“Off-camera, we’re negotiating. Like why we put through someone a couple of cities back and why we didn’t put through this person, because we’re figuring out what’s actually out there,” Perry told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this week.
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The “Swish Swish” singer went on to share that when she signed up for Idol, she didn’t know what kind of talent was left.
“I thought everything had been discovered,” she said. “I was like, are there any more diamonds to polish? Because of the technology world that we live in, everybody can launch themselves on their own platform. Well the truth is, there’s a lot of diamonds out there and American Idol has so many of them.”
Although the first-time judges have a friendly rapport, they certainly aren’t always in agreement as per what Richie told THR. If one judge disagrees with the others about a contestant, they will not waver.
“I’ll just lean on them,” the “All Night Long” singer said.
“When Lionel bats his eyes, and I’m just like, ‘OK.’” We’re at a place now where we really know each other on this level of judging,” Bryan told THR.
The trio told THR that contestants often cover the same songs during their auditions. They have heard plenty of performances of Maren Morris’ “My Church,” Niall Horan’s “Slow Hands” and Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey,” to name a few.
“There’s a lot of original stuff, too, which I really appreciate,” Perry added.
Richie also insisted that the new Idol will feel different because the three judges are artists who write and perform their own material.
“We’re in it. And right now, the talent’s becoming much smarter,” Richie told THR.
American Idol returns on Sunday, March 11 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
Photo credit: ABC / American Idol
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