After months of rumors and speculation, the American Idol season 13 judging panel is finally complete and official. Fox announced on Tuesday that Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez, and Keith Urban will be the judges on the upcoming season of the show. For the first time in American Idol history, the judging panel will be entirely comprised of singers.
Fox’s chairman of entertainment, Kevin Reilly, issued a statement: “American Idol has always been about discovering the next singing superstar, and next season our judging panel will deliver a most impressive combination of talent, wisdom and personality to do just that: Jennifer Lopez, the triple-threat global superstar who loves and whom Idol fans love; Harry Connick Jr., a bona-fide musical genius and fantastic Idol mentor whose honesty and expertise can help turn these hopefuls into stars; Keith Urban, a multi-Grammy-winning artist who was such a positive force on the show last season.”
All three of the judges have previous experience with working with American Idol. Country artist Keith Urban is the only judge returning from last season. “I think this season of Idol is gonna be a blast,” Urban stated. “New team, new energy and a whole new field of artists to be discovered and given a chance!”
Pop star and actress Jennifer Lopez was a judge for Idol back in 2011 and 2012 for seasons 10 and 11. Earlier, she tweeted “#IDOL2014TheRemix.”
Jazz singer and actor Harry Connick Jr. mentored Idol contestants twice in the past. “I have always been a huge fan of American Idol and really enjoyed my time as a mentor on the show.” Connick said in a statement. “And I am honored that they’ve asked me to be a judge this season. As an entertainer, I am truly excited to bring my perspective to American Idol, and to help emerging performers find their way.”
Fox also confirmed Randy Jackson will return to the show to serve as an in-house mentor and Ryan Seacrest will be back as host. “Surprise, surprise! I am so happy to be back as part of this amazing show that started it all,” Jackson stated. “The original talent show is back with a vengeance and ready to discover the best talent in America.”
Even though Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope Records, will no longer mentor the contestants, Universal Music Group will continue to release music from the American Idol winner and other contestants.
Connick, Lopez, and Urban begin working for Idol today to critique auditions in Boston. American Idol returns to Fox in January.
