American Idol season 21: First look at Katy Perry, judges!

American Idol

American Idol season 21 is not going to be on the air until the new year, but we’ve got good news for everyone already excited!

This week, the network unveiled that filming is underway with the judges for the new season — Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan are once again back, as is host Ryan Seacrest. You can see a first-look photo of all four of them above — plus a reminder that Lionel never ages.

As if the photo above (via TV Insider) did not make it clear already, the auditions are going to be kicking off this time around in Las Vegas. Given that this is such an entertainment capital, why wouldn’t you want some of the biggest entertainers possible there?

One of the things that we’re the most excited to see moving forward with this show is some contestants who truly embody what it means to be a performer — someone who knows who they are and isn’t afraid to go out there and take some big risks on the stage. It’s something that we really need if the goal here is to have a legitimate superstar after the fact. The job of American Idol really needs to be twofold, as difficult as that may be at times. You want to ensure that you present a really entertaining show but at the same time, you also have to find a way to cultivate stars to legitimize your brand. It’s been ages since this series had a consistent, bona-fide superstar who could have #1 hits or sold-out stadium tours. There may not be a way to have that again; time will tell.

Odds are, we’ll get a little bit more news as we prepare for season 21. Stay tuned!

Related Be sure to get some more news when it comes to American Idol right now

What do you most want to see on American Idol season 21 when it arrives on ABC?

Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! Once you do just that, come back for some other updates on the show. (Photo: ABC.)

This article was written by Jessica BunBun. Be sure to follow her on Twitter.

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