The brutally honest and critical Simon Powell has finally spoken up about Carrie Underwood replacing Katy Perry in American Idol as a judge. As usual, he didn’t hold back from speaking his mind. Powell thinks that as judges, they should just say “how we feel,” on and off of the reality competition series.
However, that is not to be taken as beef in any way as Powell made it clear that American Idol and Carrie Underwood go way back (it will be 20 years in August 2024). He made it clear that Underwood replacing Perry is a good choice. This reply was in response to his exclusive interview with E! News and he went on to give his two cents about Underwood joining the judges panel in the following words:
“Carrie, we go back a long way. I remember her audition like it was yesterday. She was so good, she’s such a sweet person.”
Powell went on to share what being a judge is like and advised Underwood to just enjoy the upcoming gig in the following words: “It’s not that difficult doing this job, I promise you. We all feel the same things and we don’t agree, thank God. Otherwise, life would be boring. And just enjoy it.”
Carrie Underwood Made It Clear That She Has Ear For More Than Just Country Music Up Her Sleeve
During a surprise appearance at SiriusXM’s Music Row Happy Hour in Las Vegas on Aug 23, 2024, Carrie Underwood, in all good faith, was put on the spot by the interviewer who referred to Underwood as the second country artist on the panel (the other one being Luke Bryan). Underwood immediately responded to that by making it clear that, while yes, she has mostly done songs in country, she also has contributed plenty in other genres.
“I feel like I’ve been so blessed to obviously be so rooted in country music, but I’ve been able to be a part of many other genres of music as well. I mean, I’ve got a song with Papa Roach right now. It’s a lot of fun.”
Underwood went on to make it clear that her versatility will help her put on any lens she needs to “put on in terms of what music she’s thinking.” However, unlike Powell’s advice of clearly saying how she should feel, Underwood has already made it clear that while she will be constructive and honest, she will still be kind toward the contestants — which gives us a bit of a taste of what her aura might be like on the upcoming season.
American Idol Season 23 is set to air in 2025. The online auditions opened on May 3, 2024, and will remain so through October 15, 2024. All the previous seasons of the show are available to stream on Hulu.
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