As long as there’s heart in American Idol, Luke Bryan doesn’t plan on walking away from the judges’ table.
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The country superstar has been a judge since Idol was revived on ABC in 2018, serving for a total of six seasons alongside Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Though the judges’ panel for season 22 has yet to be confirmed, Bryan says that he’s willing to stay on board with a particular goal in mind.
“My future with Idol [will continue] as long as the show is growing and popping, and we feel like we’re doing beautiful work as a show,” Bryan shared with reporters backstage at Nissan Stadium during CMA Fest 2023 (quote via Taste of Country). “We felt like this year was what we had all worked together to get to. As long as the vibe feels like we’re moving onward and upward — and we’re getting emotionally moved, we’re telling the stories of kids and the American spirit, and it’s a show that kids [and] parents can cry and laugh together and have fun [watching] — it’s gonna be a tough show for me and Lionel and Katy to walk away from.”
Season 21 fulfilled the “emotionally moved” criteria Bryan mentioned with winner Iam Tongi. The 18-year-old from Hawaii who now lives in Washington state moved viewers throughout his Idol journey. That journey began with his emotional audition song, James Blunt’s “Monsters,” where he opened up about how his late father inspired him to do music.
“This is what this show is about,” Perry raved during Tongi’s performance of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” in the showstopper round.
Bryan helped close out CMA Fest with a headlining set at the stadium on Sunday (June 11). He’ll embark on his 14th annual Farm Tour in September with special guests Kameron Marlowe, Chayce Beckham, the Peach Pickers, and DJ Rock. The tour will visit five farms across the U.S. in Kentucky, Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota from September 14 to September 23.
Photo Credit: ABC/Eric McCandless
