Luke Bryan has confirmed he and Lionel Richie will complete the judging panel on the upcoming season of ‘American Idol’.
The 41-year-old country singer and the ‘Hello’ hitmaker had been rumoured to be joining the ABC revival of the hit Fox talent competition as judges alongside previously announced Katy Perry, and Luke has now confirmed the news in an Instagram video posted on Friday (29.09.17).
In the video, the ‘Kick the Dust Up’ singer said: "Hey everybody it’s Luke Bryan here, greetings from a hay field in Kansas. I’m so excited and proud to announce that I will be one of the three judges on ABC’s ‘American Idol’. I will be joined with the beautiful Miss Katy Perry, and my hero Mr Lionel Richie, and my fellow Georgia boy Ryan Seacrest.
"Can’t wait to see you guys, can’t wait to be a part of the show, and I’m so excited to see all the talent out there that America has. Make sure you guys stay tuned, we’ll be blowing up our socials, and it’s going to be an exciting year. I’m so honoured, and we’re going to have some fun."
And Luke captioned the clip: "It’s official. Ready for @americanidol. (sic)"
Luke and Lionel, 68, are the last names to be announced for the show, after ‘Bon Appetite’ hitmaker Katy was announced earlier this year, followed by the announcement that host Ryan Seacrest – who previously hosted the show on Fox – would be reprising his role.
Previously, Katy said she was "honoured and thrilled" to be a part of the show when news of her casting was announced in May.
She said: "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. 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."
‘American Idol’ will return to television screens in 2018.