American Idol: Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie Returning as Judges, Along With Host Ryan Seacrest

American Idol is handing another golden ticket to its judging panel: Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie will all return as judges for the upcoming season on ABC, TVLine has learned. Host Ryan Seacrest will also return for his 21st (!) season as emcee.

Season 21 of the veteran singing competition — its sixth season on ABC, following a very successful run on Fox — will debut this spring; no premiere date has been set. Auditions will kick off next Wednesday, Aug. 3, with events in all 50 states searching for America’s next singing superstar. (For more information on how to audition, check out the show’s official site.)

The judging trio of Perry, Bryan and Richie will return for their sixth season together, all since Idol moved from Fox to ABC. Seacrest, of course, has hosted Idol since it debuted on Fox way back in 2002.

Last season, American Idol averaged 7.2 million total viewers and a 1.1 demo rating, ticking up from its previous averages. It stands as ABC’s most-watched program and ranks third in the demo amongst all reality TV programs (tying ABC’s own The Bachelor and Dancing With the Stars, and trailing CBS’ Survivor and Fox’s The Masked Singer).

Are you already warming up for a new season of American Idol? Let us know in the comments.

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