Luke Bryan on 'American Idol': 'I Judge Like a Fan of Music'
Luke Bryan
If the timing had been different   Luke Bryan  might have been a contestant on American Idol. Instead  the Georgia native will be one of the show's new judges when the reboot of the singing competition premieres on ABC in March.
Related  Luke Bryan : The Rolling Stone Country Interview Country music's most popular â and polarizing â figure on his musical hits and misses  celebrity frustrations and what he has to say to the haters
Meeting with reporters at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena on Monday alongside returning host Ryan Seacrest  his fellow judges â pop star Katy Perry and R&B legend Lionel Richie Â­â and the show's producers   Bryan  recalled moving to Nashville as American Idol was taking off in the early 2000s. "I just remember once I got my record dealâ¦ I was  like  'Gosh  it would have been pretty awesome to have had the opportunity to try out and start with that platform ' " Bryan  said  discussing the increasing difficulty of a launching a music career in a crowded marketplace.
"I remember being inspired by it as a young musician  " Bryan  said of the early days of the original series  which ended its run on Fox in 2016. He also noted Idol's success in the country arena specifically. "The main thing with me is I remember when [season four winner] Carrie Underwood rolled into Nashville. It energized the whole city. And then you look at [season five finalist] Kellie Pickler  who still has a career in entertainment  and then you look at now [season 10 winner] Scotty McCreery is finally catching his stride as an artist."
 Bryan   whose latest album What Makes You Country debuted at Number One on the Billboard all-genre Top 200 chart in December  says he decided to take a seat at the judges' table because it "felt like it was going to be a blast to be a part of." He had turned down previous offers to do TV gigs but when Idol called  "I jumped right on it. It was never a moment's thought for me  because I get inspired. I judge and I watch this like a fan of music " he said. "I'm in there on the emotional ride with these kids. When they start singing and they are moving me emotionally  I get wrapped up in the moment. I get wrapped up in the pageantry and the dreams coming true."
 Bryan  joins the growing list of country stars to lend their talents to reality competitions  including former Idol judge Keith Urban  Brad Paisley  who appeared on ABC's Rising Star and Blake Shelton  who not only currently stars on NBC's The Voice but was previously a judge on Nashville Star.
If the timing had been different   Luke Bryan  might have been a contestant on American Idol. Instead  the Georgia native will be one of the show's new judges when the reboot of the singing competition premieres on ABC in March.
Related   [TGT]  : The Rolling Stone Country Interview Country music's most popular â and polarizing â figure on his musical hits and misses  celebrity frustrations and what he has to say to the haters
Meeting with reporters at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena on Monday alongside returning host Ryan Seacrest  his fellow judges â pop star Katy Perry and R&B legend Lionel Richie Â­â and the show's producers    [TGT] recalled moving to Nashville as American Idol was taking off in the early 2000s. "I just remember once I got my record dealâ¦ I was  like  'Gosh  it would have been pretty awesome to have had the opportunity to try out and start with that platform '  [TGT] said  discussing the increasing difficulty of a launching a music career in a crowded marketplace.
"I remember being inspired by it as a young musician   [TGT] said of the early days of the original series  which ended  [TGT]  run on Fox in 2016.  [TGT]  also noted Idol's success in the country arena specifically. "The main thing with  [TGT]  is I remember when [season four winner] Carrie Underwood rolled into Nashville. It energized the whole city. And then you look at [season five finalist] Kellie Pickler  who still has a career in entertainment  and then you look at now [season 10 winner] Scotty McCreery is finally catching his stride as an artist."
  [TGT] whose latest album What Makes You Country debuted at Number One on the Billboard all-genre Top 200 chart in December  says he decided to take a seat at the judges' table because it "felt like it was going to be a blast to be a part of." He had turned down previous offers to do TV gigs but when Idol called  "I jumped right on it. It was never a moment's thought for me  because I get inspired. I judge and I watch this like a fan of music " he said. "I'm in there on the emotional ride with these kids. When they start singing and they are moving me emotionally  I get wrapped up in the moment. I get wrapped up in the pageantry and the dreams coming true."
 Bryan  joins the growing list of country stars to lend their talents to reality competitions  including former Idol judge Keith Urban  Brad Paisley  who appeared on ABC's Rising Star and Blake Shelton  who not only currently stars on NBC's The Voice but was previously a judge on Nashville Star.