Luke Bryan returns as a super-star judge for his fourth season on American Idol on Sunday (February 14th). He’s once again joined by Katy Perry and Lionel Richie on the judges’ panel.

After a nationwide search for talent, viewers will embark on a journey with the judges in Los Angeles, California; San Diego, California; and Ojai, California, where the show’s iconic judge auditions will surprise audiences and hopefuls alike with never-before-seen twists.

Last year, the season ended virtually, however this year, they were able to return to in-person auditions and Luke, for one, thinks it made a huge difference.

“To have the fourth season of American Idol and to certainly end the third season virtually, and now we can roll in and we’re back in front of the kids for live auditions, and being in the room with an extremely talented artist and singer is really, really powerful,” says Luke. “You don’t want those moments virtually. I was so thankful that the show with a way to get us in front of the kids, and certainly, we followed all the COVID protocols, and it was amazing watching everyone at American Idol come together, and it was really special watching the kids show up.”

The new season of American Idol will premiere on Sunday (February 14th) beginning at 8pm ET on ABC.

Luke is getting poised to enter the top of the country charts with his latest single, “Down to One.”