'American Idol' judges dish on season 9's 1st live show
The search for America's next superstar is heating up, with the top 20 contestants set for season 9 of "American Idol" on ABC.
"American Idol" judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan dished on what to expect ahead of the the first live show of the season -- the 24th season overall and ninth on ABC -- coming up next week.
"We're going to sing. We're doing a Lionel [Richie] song, 'Jesus Is Love,'" Bryan said on "Good Morning America" in a live interview that aired Tuesday.
"Many of these kids come from gospel backgrounds ... we all kind of honed our skills in front of the church," Bryan continued. "So when we give them the opportunity to kind of go to the faith-based night, they really embrace it."
Underwood said it will be an opportunity for the contestants to showcase songs that truly speak to them.
"They're songs of faith, so it could be something inspiring," the former contestant-turned-judge said. "It's still a mixed bag."
Richie also called the upcoming new episodes "the foundation of what we're all about."
Richie, a music industry veteran, said he encourages young, aspiring singers on the reality competition show to bring their A-game whenever they get on stage or perform in front of a mic.
"There's no such thing as too hot," Richie said. "Get our attention as fast as you can ... you've got one time around each time to make it work. So when they walk out and have that much fire going, bring it on."
With the judges hearing hundreds of songs throughout the course of the show, it might not be easy to choose a hit track to perform, let alone one from the catalog of a fellow co-judge. But for Bryan, he said he'd easily go with Richie's hit with The Commodores, "Easy (Like Sunday Morning)."
"'Easy (Like Sunday Morning)' is just timeless, never gets old," said Bryan.
Richie said he would also go with Underwood's "Jesus, Take the Wheel."
Underwood, meanwhile, said it would be "impossible" to choose between Bryan or Richie's catalogs, but gave her blessing to Richie to record her song.
"Wait, wait. Let's just do it together," Richie said.
"American Idol" airs live on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+ and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC, ABC News and Hulu.
