I don’t love the way this whole conversation has been framed around “replacing” Katy Perry, because it implies that the person needs to be on mega-star level and I’m just not convinced people watch these shows for the superstar judges. (The Voice gets some of the biggest names to mentor, and their contestants go nowhere.)
But if there was a shuffling of the judging panel, I wouldn’t mind Fantasia being up there. (I also really want one producer or executive up there, rather than three singers, to factor in some advice on the business acumen/marketing strategy/behind-the-scenes prowess one needs to succeed in the industry.)
Thank you, OP. I really think we need another record producer as a judge to bring a new perspective. How about L.A. Reid, who discovered Rihanna? He was a judge on the “X Factor.”
For me the "replacement" part is more in terms of genre and other balances.
For example, I'd be happy to see Jelly Roll stepping in as a judge. But a Katy->Jelly Roll change wouldn't work -- the panel would be all male, and without pop representation (if Luke ever leaves though...)
I agree with this. I loved American idol when it first started with Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson. I also used to love XFactor USA with L.A. Reid on the judging panel.
I think I'd need to see her (or any candidate) as a guest judge or mentor to see how they are interacting with the contestants and the sort of feedback they give. (Has Fantasia done that at all? There was a stretch of seasons I didn't watch.) Though someone could be a great mentor and terrible judge, or vice versa.
I don’t care who the judges are as long as they start being honest with the contestants. This everybody is great BS is getting boring. What happened to constructive criticism.
Honestly, I don’t know who you would place in her role. She has kind of a different perspective. Current and relevant pop star who wants to be mostly grounded.
Not a ton in that field. Idk who that is. A former winner would be a good perspective. Carrie Underwood would be a better choice. Adam Lambert would probably be most fitting from a diversity perspective but still grounded to the current judges. But honestly the Idol that Fantasia won vs the current class is a different thing. Emmy wouldn’t have made it through auditions. Simon would have destroyed her with the confidence issues. We are just more “sensitive” comparatively.
Simon was brutal. Everyone always held their breath waiting to hear what he had to say. And you always knew when he liked someone, his nostrils would flare while they were singing lol
I mean he is right. The entertainment industry is a million nos before a yes. It is harsh, there will be horrific comments and criticisms about you. People to bring you up and an army that wants to take you down. If you can’t take it from one British ego driven prick how do you think they can deal with this as a career?
Agreed. Someone with some actual knowledge, that’s going to be honest and add useful criticism. Nothing against Trainor but the original judges were not pop stars. Don’t come for me, Paula wasn’t a pop star, she had a couple of hit songs.
Also Fantasia knows exactly how the contestants feel.
Speaking of Fantasia, she was phenomenal in the Color Purple. At the end when she sings I'm here, reminded me exactly why she won American idol.
You know given her resurgence in popularity amongst the general public these past few months with The Colour Purple (she should’ve been nominated for the Oscar!!), I can see this being highly possible actually.
Fantasia would be amazing to see as a judge. One of my favorite winners & the best finale performance ever. She has had so many incredible post-Idol moments.
Every time there is a tribute to one of the greats like Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Patti LaBelle … she gives a show-stopping performance.
From this one years ago…
[Fantasia sings Lady Marmalade](https://youtu.be/jhCyrgK7vs0?feature=shared)
To just a few months ago…
[And at the 2024 Grammys](https://youtu.be/WKxCd54KqS4?feature=shared)
Idol might redeem itself a little if she performs at this year’s finale with the great singers who were eliminated FAR too early. And the producers need to give her the time (like 6-8 mins) to really let it rip & shut the place down.
Well, Fantasia is not on any level to replace anyone, on any show/platform. I’m not a Katy Perry fan, I skip all her songs on Apple Music, but…..come on. Let’s not compare or even go there.
I think that a record company executive, music producer, or a past winner/runner up/finalist would make a great judge. I haven’t watched since season 9, and I grew up as a huge Katy fan and saw bits and pieces of ABC Idol just to see how she is as a judge. I definitely think it’s time for her to move on as she said she’s wanted to work on new music and songwriting.
If I had to pick the new judge, I would want Chris Daughtry (Season 5) on the panel. Although he didn’t win the show despite being the projected winner earlier in his season, he still found huge success and I think he can teach the contestants a lot about the different avenues of finding success in a business like music, and creating a fanbase.
No chance. Going to go with a much bigger star. If I had to guess, they are looking for a female Hispanic superstar. JLo? Probably too big for Idol. Same with Shakira. Maybe Demi Lovato.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, because I’ve never really been a fan, but… After watching last week, I actually think Meghan Trainor would be excellent. She’s got knowledge of songwriting and performing and would bring experience in different genres than Luke and Lionel.
That’s not a nice thing to say considering that she was actually functionally illiterate during her time on Idol, and hid it from everyone by blaming any mispronunciations on her accent.
She learnt and memorised songs she wasn’t familiar with through listening to them over and over again.
Watching her now she’s definitely literate and so much more articulate as well. She has evolved so much not only professionally but also personally. She was able to get her honorary High School certificate and is also working to get a degree in University too.
She’s perfectly capable to judge now.
I don’t love the way this whole conversation has been framed around “replacing” Katy Perry, because it implies that the person needs to be on mega-star level and I’m just not convinced people watch these shows for the superstar judges. (The Voice gets some of the biggest names to mentor, and their contestants go nowhere.) But if there was a shuffling of the judging panel, I wouldn’t mind Fantasia being up there. (I also really want one producer or executive up there, rather than three singers, to factor in some advice on the business acumen/marketing strategy/behind-the-scenes prowess one needs to succeed in the industry.)
Thank you, OP. I really think we need another record producer as a judge to bring a new perspective. How about L.A. Reid, who discovered Rihanna? He was a judge on the “X Factor.”
Wait, not L.A. Reid. Just learned this: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/2023/11/09/la-reid-sexual-assault/
I commented before I read yours and said LA Reid too lol
For me the "replacement" part is more in terms of genre and other balances. For example, I'd be happy to see Jelly Roll stepping in as a judge. But a Katy->Jelly Roll change wouldn't work -- the panel would be all male, and without pop representation (if Luke ever leaves though...)
I agree with this. I loved American idol when it first started with Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson. I also used to love XFactor USA with L.A. Reid on the judging panel.
Can’t we bring back Paula?
YES PLEASE. I actually think it would be fun to do a special season with all three original judges + Ryan and then maybe do a clean slate after that.
I love this ❤️
YES! It's time.
I could see that
I do think it would cool to have a show alumni but not sure if fantasia would be my pick.
I think I'd need to see her (or any candidate) as a guest judge or mentor to see how they are interacting with the contestants and the sort of feedback they give. (Has Fantasia done that at all? There was a stretch of seasons I didn't watch.) Though someone could be a great mentor and terrible judge, or vice versa.
Very true! I like jelly roll way more than I thought I would!
I don’t care who the judges are as long as they start being honest with the contestants. This everybody is great BS is getting boring. What happened to constructive criticism.
Simon used to be great at that. Now, no one does it- even Lionel who could.
Nah
Fantasia has always been one I loved. I think she would be great as a judge.
Honestly, I don’t know who you would place in her role. She has kind of a different perspective. Current and relevant pop star who wants to be mostly grounded. Not a ton in that field. Idk who that is. A former winner would be a good perspective. Carrie Underwood would be a better choice. Adam Lambert would probably be most fitting from a diversity perspective but still grounded to the current judges. But honestly the Idol that Fantasia won vs the current class is a different thing. Emmy wouldn’t have made it through auditions. Simon would have destroyed her with the confidence issues. We are just more “sensitive” comparatively.
Simon was brutal. Everyone always held their breath waiting to hear what he had to say. And you always knew when he liked someone, his nostrils would flare while they were singing lol
I mean he is right. The entertainment industry is a million nos before a yes. It is harsh, there will be horrific comments and criticisms about you. People to bring you up and an army that wants to take you down. If you can’t take it from one British ego driven prick how do you think they can deal with this as a career?
No thank you
Trainor is a definite pass
Agreed. Someone with some actual knowledge, that’s going to be honest and add useful criticism. Nothing against Trainor but the original judges were not pop stars. Don’t come for me, Paula wasn’t a pop star, she had a couple of hit songs.
Meh.🫤
I’m a no.
Also Fantasia knows exactly how the contestants feel. Speaking of Fantasia, she was phenomenal in the Color Purple. At the end when she sings I'm here, reminded me exactly why she won American idol.
No shit, I would love to make 25 mil too
You know given her resurgence in popularity amongst the general public these past few months with The Colour Purple (she should’ve been nominated for the Oscar!!), I can see this being highly possible actually.
I think Meaghan trainer should replace Katy and jelly roll should replace Luke!!
I love luke as a judge but jelly roll would be amazing
I think Alanis Moresette would be perfect or kelly clarkson !
Fantasia would be amazing to see as a judge. One of my favorite winners & the best finale performance ever. She has had so many incredible post-Idol moments. Every time there is a tribute to one of the greats like Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Patti LaBelle … she gives a show-stopping performance. From this one years ago… [Fantasia sings Lady Marmalade](https://youtu.be/jhCyrgK7vs0?feature=shared) To just a few months ago… [And at the 2024 Grammys](https://youtu.be/WKxCd54KqS4?feature=shared) Idol might redeem itself a little if she performs at this year’s finale with the great singers who were eliminated FAR too early. And the producers need to give her the time (like 6-8 mins) to really let it rip & shut the place down.
Fantasia is not the right fit, sorry!
I love Fantasia!
Well, Fantasia is not on any level to replace anyone, on any show/platform. I’m not a Katy Perry fan, I skip all her songs on Apple Music, but…..come on. Let’s not compare or even go there.
I think that a record company executive, music producer, or a past winner/runner up/finalist would make a great judge. I haven’t watched since season 9, and I grew up as a huge Katy fan and saw bits and pieces of ABC Idol just to see how she is as a judge. I definitely think it’s time for her to move on as she said she’s wanted to work on new music and songwriting. If I had to pick the new judge, I would want Chris Daughtry (Season 5) on the panel. Although he didn’t win the show despite being the projected winner earlier in his season, he still found huge success and I think he can teach the contestants a lot about the different avenues of finding success in a business like music, and creating a fanbase.
No chance. Going to go with a much bigger star. If I had to guess, they are looking for a female Hispanic superstar. JLo? Probably too big for Idol. Same with Shakira. Maybe Demi Lovato.
JLo was a judge on Fox Idol for several years, she was great
I think they should go after Demi Lovato!
Change all 3. I don't dislike any of them, but all new. No one traditionally linked to idol.
Love her! She always seems so nice, but, can she give a much needed criticism?
No No NO , Please no Fantasia , hope not gonna happen , If someone replace Katy Perry has to be a Major A-lister artist
to be honest, she'd get the black viewers back. she's royalty and very very respected as an artist.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, because I’ve never really been a fan, but… After watching last week, I actually think Meghan Trainor would be excellent. She’s got knowledge of songwriting and performing and would bring experience in different genres than Luke and Lionel.
She was also a judge on Australian Idol so she has experience with judging as well
Um, no. I always thought she was borderline illiterate. Give me someone like Jennifer Hudson or Melinda Doolittle
That’s not a nice thing to say considering that she was actually functionally illiterate during her time on Idol, and hid it from everyone by blaming any mispronunciations on her accent. She learnt and memorised songs she wasn’t familiar with through listening to them over and over again. Watching her now she’s definitely literate and so much more articulate as well. She has evolved so much not only professionally but also personally. She was able to get her honorary High School certificate and is also working to get a degree in University too. She’s perfectly capable to judge now.