Carrie Underwood, who won “American Idol” in 2005, came full circle when she returned to the show as a judge for season 23. Now back for a second season, she sits alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, feeling more confident than ever as she offers guidance and critiques to the aspiring singers chasing their dreams.
In a recent interview, Underwood opened up about returning to the judges’ panel for season 24, sharing that she now finds it much easier to tell contestants when they’re not quite ready yet.
Carrie Underwood Shares How She Is Feeling Going Into Season 24
GettyCarrie Underwood is returning to the judges panel bringing more confidence and honesty as she heads into season 24 alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.
While speaking to “Y’all Access Radio” just a few days before the premiere on Jan. 26, she shared, “I feel more confident in myself in this role. I feel like last year, you wonder if you’ll have anything to say. You wonder what kind of a judge you’ll be because you really don’t know until you get in there. But I feel good, and I feel good about the talent, for sure.”
With her newfound confidence, Underwood said she’s learned to tell contestants “no” more easily this upcoming season, always in a way that offers her best guidance without crushing their dreams.
“I feel like most of the people that come through understand what we’re trying to tell them,” she said. “So a lot of it, if they’re young, it’s like ‘You just need to get in front of people some more. You need to put some more time into this. It’s not a no, it’s a not right now. Not quite yet, but keep doing what you do,'” Underwood added.
Underwood on Her First Season as a ‘American Idol’ Judge
GettyDuring season 23 of “American Idol,” Underwood took part in a webseries called “Idol to Icon,” where she went down memory lane of her own Idol experience, from her very first audition to her win.
During one segment, Underwood also shared how she grew as a judge. “I feel like I have grown as a judge. Obvously, this is a role I have never been in before. And I was really nervous about things I would have to say, advice I would have to give,” she shared.
She continued, “You kind of don’t know how you are going to act or react or come across if you’ve never been in a certain situation before. More than anything, I wanted to give construction advice and help the hopefuls along the way. I feel like that’s the most important thing.”
While she was mastering her role as a judge, some viewers doubted Underwood’s ability to critique contestants performing generes beyond country music. She quickly proved them wrong, rocking out to a contestant’s rendition of Korn’s “Freak on a Leash” during audition rounds. And she didn’t stop there, Underwood later joined him for a high-energy duet of Drowning Pool’s “Bodies.”
She’s since earned the nickname, “Jukebox Carrie.”
