‘American Idol’ Season 4 Premiere Date Revealed on ABC

The American Idol cast is returning in 2021 for Season 4, and the popular ABC show is set to premiere on Valentine’s Day, per TV Insider. That’s right, AI is returning on Feb. 14 with judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie in their usual seats, and Ryan Seacrest will continue as the competition’s host. Bobby Bones will also make a return as the in-house mentor.

A new set of talented singers are gearing up to show off their talents to not only some of the best in the music industry themselves but to all of America. This is also the first time Perry will be sitting in her chair as a mom after giving birth to she and fiancé Orlando Bloom‘s first child together on Aug. 26. “We are floating with love and wonder from the safe and healthy arrival of our daughter,” she and Bloom told UNICEF in a statement as they made their announcement through the popular organization instead of social media. “But we know we’re the lucky ones and not everyone can have a birthing experience as peaceful as ours was. Communities around the world are still experiencing a shortage of healthcare workers and every eleven seconds a pregnant woman or newborn dies, mostly from preventable causes.”

The two continued to raise awareness for why they chose to announce through UNICEF and encouraged their followers to donate to the organization. However, now that she’s given birth, this will be her first time back on AI as a mommy. While the premiere date isn’t until Feb. 14, the cast has already returned to set. In an exclusive sneak peek from the upcoming season, Perry, unfortunately, suffered a rather scary moment while filming due to a set malfunction.

In the clip, Perry shares some advice with a contestant when a set-piece behind her comes crashing down. The crash caused the singer to yell and jump out of her chair in shock. But in true Perry fashion, she turned a frightening moment into a hilarious one yelling, “They’re here! They’re here!” The implication — given that they’re filming during Halloween season — is that some sort of apparition caused the set malfunction. Bryan agreed saying, “This place is haunted!”

After taking a second to calm down, Perry apologized then joked, “I’ve just been in a fight or flight mode all of 2020.” Given this has been a very tough year for the world, the cast and crew seem happy to be back on set for work, instead of filming inside of their respective homes.