Katy Perry to be American Idol judge
Pop star Katy Perry is the first judge to be named for the new season of “American Idol,” which was revived by ABC for the 20172018 season.
The show, which pulled in 38 million viewers at its peak and has “produced over 375 No. 1s to date, counting all national and domestic charts,” according to Billboard, previously aired for 15 seasons from 2002 to 2016 on ABC’s rival network Fox. It was cancelled in 2016 amid declining ratings.
Perry’s successes as a pop star read similarly. Since releasing her debut album “One of the Boys” in 2008, she has sold more than 100 million records and has been nominated for 12 Grammy and five American Music Awards.
“I am honoured and thrilled to be the first judge bringing back the ‘American Idol’ tradition of making dreams come true for incredible talents with authentic personalities and real stories,” Perry said in a statement. “I’m always listening to new music, and love discovering diamonds in the rough — from mentoring young artists on my label, or highlighting new artists on my tours, I want to bring it back to the music.”
She also posted a note on Twitter saying that she was thrilled that “American Idol” is back.