The new season of American Idol begins on Feb. 16th, and Luke Bryan returns, along with his fellow judges Lionel Richie and Katy Perry. Luke, Lionel and Katy have been auditioning fans all over the country, and Luke tells us that this season's crop of contestants really widens the playing field. “The best part of the new season is we're seeing more songwriters come out with better songs. Songwriters and people that think that they don't fit the American Idol criteria, they're coming out. Last year with with our contestants, you look at our top ten. It was diverse. It was across the board and kids at home can go, 'I thought American Idol was only for pop stars and country stars,' but American Idol's for all kind of stars. This year is showing that.”
Season 18 of American Idol airs on ABC on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.