American IdolSeason 23 premiered on June 20, 2025, with abrand-new judges panel.AfterKaty Perrybid farewell to the singing competitionin February 2024, formerAmerican Idolwinner and country singerCarrie Underwoodstepped in as her replacement alongsideLionel RitchieandLuke Bryan. Underwood wonAmerican IdolSeason 4 back in 2005 with her powerful vocals and country charm. But there’s no denying that since then, the show hasgone through an evolution.
Not only has the judge’s panel changed drastically over the years, butAmerican Idolhas alsoshowcased the shift in musical trends. From pop to rock and R&B, the show has platformed diverse artists coming from all kinds of backgrounds. However, in the more recent seasons, fans can’t help but notice that country singers seem to be receiving most of the spotlight, while other genres take the backseat. Most of thefinalists in the show are country singers.While one might argue that’s because the fans vote for their favorites, the overwhelming presence of country performers on the show is a little concerning.
The Judges Panel Will Inevitably Have a Country Music Bias
What made the earlier seasons ofAmerican Idolso special was the show’s incredible range of judges. FromSimon Cowell’sharsh criticism toPaula Abdul’ssharp eye for good performers andRandy Jackson’sexpertise in music production, the panel was designed to offer holistic advice and mentorship to budding musicians. This balance created an environment whereall genres could thriveand all singers had equal opportunities to showcase their talent. But once the original judges started leaving, the show eventually replaced them with singers who were, of course, extremely talented in the field. However, they obviouslybrought a more genre-specific perspective to the panel.
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“It was like I’d heard it for the first time.”
As the show airs its 23rd Season, the biggest problem is thattwo out of the three judges are country singers.Of course, Underwood and Bryan are extremely successful artists, but their musical backgrounds limit the kind of critique they can offer the contestants. There’s little to no room for cross-genre feedback in the show at this point because Ritchie’s opinion is bound to be outweighed by his two fellow judges. Even if Underwood and Bryan don’t intend on doing so,their inherent expertise and bias toward their own genrecan completely skew the show’s direction.
Underwood Might Not Have Been the Right Replacement for Perry
Before Underwood joined the show, Perry was part of the judges' panel alongside Ritchie and Bryan for seven seasons. While the “Firework” singer isfirmly rooted in pop music,she is known for incorporating other genres such as rock, country, and even some R&B into her work. This flexibility allowed Perry to still bring a fresh perspective to the panel, which distinguished her from the other two judges. However, with Underwood, who is one of thecountry’s biggestcountry music legends,the balance has shifted and created a distinct country bias. The “Before He Cheats” singer is a country artist through and through, and hasn’t really been as experimental with her music as Perry. With two judges coming from extremely similar backgrounds, it’s questionable if the show can truly offer the same level of support to all kinds of contestants.
The Contestants Are Not Staying True to Themselves
Not only does this country music-saturated approach alienate audiences who once loved the show for its wide range of musical talent, but it alsopressures contestants to stick to a formula.For example, inAmerican IdolSeason 20, the top five contestants traveled to Las Vegas to be mentored by Underwood. This would have made for a great watch, especially since the country singer definitely had valuable advice to offer the contestants from her own experience on the show. However, in a move that can’t be termed as anything but extremely unfair, the top 5 contestants then had to perform Underwood’s songsin front of the judges.
This obviouslyput the country singers at an advantagewhile singers from other genres had to push themselves beyond their comfort zones and vocal ranges. The message that the show sent in this situation was clear: the contestants had to conform to a style that they had no experience with or interest in. Ultimately,they were sidelinedif they couldn’t perform country music well.
As biased as this approach is, it alsoeats into the entertainment value of the show. Fans can often guess which contestants will make it through to the final round based on the genres that they choose to perform, rather than merit. There’s no element of surprise inAmerican Idolanymore because more often than not,country music singers overshadowother deserving artists. And if this continues to be the case in Season 23, the show is probably better off renaming itself to Country Idol.
American Idol
Twelve American finalists (six men and six women) compete in a singing contest.
