This… Is American Idol! The iconic series that revolutionized the television landscape by pioneering the music-competition genre, will return to airwaves on This Sunday, March 11th at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, at its new home on the ABC Television Network. Ryan Seacrest will return as host along with a panel of new judges.
The nationwide search for the next superstar kicked off in August, as the Idol Bus traveled from Portland, Oregon, to Orlando, Florida in its pursuit for talent, covering 23 cities across the country. Auditioning was made easier than ever as hopefuls also had the opportunity to submit audition videos online, as well as via select social media platforms using an official tag, #TheNextIdol, cultivating over 300,000 posts. Also, for the first time in American Idol history, hopefuls had the opportunity to audition through a livestream platform.
Back in August thousands descended upon Disney Springs to audition to become the next American Idol. Former Idol-winners Jordin Sparks, Kris Allen and Ruben Studdard were on hand to greet lucky audition participants during the kickoff celebration and we have been anticipating the start of the show ever since.
Helping to determine who America will ultimately vote for to become the next singing sensation are music industry forces and superstar judges, Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Award-winning host and producer Ryan Seacrest will return as host of the beloved series.
American Idol judge Katy Perry recently visited Walt Disney World Resort in between her concerts during Witness: The Tour, and gave us a little preview on how amazing this season will be. Check out the video below:
We can’t wait to see how some of the Disney Springs auditioners do with Katy and her fellow judges.
Follow American Idol’s Facebook and #AmericanIdol on Instagram and Twitter to be a part of the journey.