Luke Bryan is enjoying every moment of his role as judge, along with Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, on the newly revamped American Idol. In the clip below, he talks about how his father pushed him into going to Nashville to pursue his own dreams, and he can’t wait to do the same for others.

American Idol premieres March 11th at 8pm ET on ABC.

Luke is nearing the top of the country charts with his latest, “Light It Up,” the first song from his new album, What Makes You Country, available December 8th.