Speaker 1: Hmm.
Speaker 2: This is one or two point seven.
Speaker 1: It's Kiss FM, just after seven o'clock on this Tuesday morning,
Speaker 1: joining us live in the studio, Luke Brian, Yes, stay
Speaker 1: and line out.
Speaker 2: Richie present and accounted for us.
Speaker 3: Why are all our Mike silver and yours is gold?
Speaker 3: Thank you very much, very much.
Speaker 1: It's to put you at ease and make you feel
Speaker 1: comfortable after some kind of.
Speaker 4: Like hierarchy here on your show. But there's a quality
Speaker 4: on our show.
Speaker 5: Just imagine they're platinum.
Speaker 2: No no, no, no, yeah, I like that, Luke like that.
Speaker 1: Let me ask you something, so Katie, I'll start with
Speaker 1: you did did you was there ever any thought or
Speaker 1: concern about the chemistry level that you guys would have
Speaker 1: before you all started working together on this show.
Speaker 3: Well, you know what's so funny.
Speaker 4: The story behind some of it is actually I met
Speaker 4: Lionel Richie one night at the Sunset Tower, late late
Speaker 4: after late night dinner, and.
Speaker 3: I sat with him and we just like share stories.
Speaker 4: But he was telling like iconic stories, and I was
Speaker 4: just thinking, oh my god, this guy has such a
Speaker 4: rolodex of like stories from all of his time, and
Speaker 4: so you know, actually they are like would you like
Speaker 4: Lionel Richie to be on the show. They were like,
Speaker 4: wouldn't that make a good duo? And I was like, yes,
Speaker 4: but I was nervous about Luke actually, because you know,
Speaker 4: she asking I literally was asking Lionel.
Speaker 2: I was like, what kind of guy is?
Speaker 4: Like?
Speaker 1: You got you got background?
Speaker 6: Well, they asked me, They said, so who in country
Speaker 6: would you want? I said, get Luke Bryant right now.
Speaker 6: Now I knew Luke, but Katie did.
Speaker 3: I didn't know if Katie, I don't know if I can.
Speaker 6: And all of a sudden, I said, trust me, as
Speaker 6: soon as you meet him, you will know him as
Speaker 6: the oldest friend you ever had, and it will be.
Speaker 5: Well, you know, when you think about today, you know,
Speaker 5: we didn't really get Katie and I didn't get like
Speaker 5: a hangout'n. Yeah, we didn't have any of that. It
Speaker 5: was like the first time we met, it was it
Speaker 5: was New York City and editions.
Speaker 3: I was like, what is it going to be like?
Speaker 5: And then you know, it just took and and and
Speaker 5: then we gang up.
Speaker 3: Together and like now we're bringing like what becaussions.
Speaker 2: For no, No, it's it's terrifying. Yeah, it's terrifying.
Speaker 6: But I remember when I knew the ice was broken
Speaker 6: when I heard Katie go shut up and said and
Speaker 6: Lou said, oh god, Katie, what was wrong?
Speaker 2: I mean, what did I do?
Speaker 6: Now?
Speaker 2: I said, they're going to be just fine.
Speaker 5: And then there was one time that first season that
Speaker 5: we were we were owned the filming lives and Katie
Speaker 5: literally under a breathlet I mean, she goes dragged me
Speaker 5: across the floor by my left arm, right and.
Speaker 1: That's actually the that's where the bass goes in her
Speaker 1: voice when she said, and.
Speaker 5: I was like, she's like, it'll be a great TV moment.
Speaker 5: I was like dragon and she fell on the floor.
Speaker 5: And you know that's.
Speaker 2: The chemistry was there.
Speaker 5: The chemists assault each other, you know, and everybody's cool.
Speaker 1: It was we're talking to the judges here in American Idol, Luke,
Speaker 1: Lionel and Katie and Lionel. You you know, as Katie said,
Speaker 1: you've seen so many legends. You know, so many legends
Speaker 1: you've told us the stories about that you are one
Speaker 1: of them. You're in that class. But you're also shaping
Speaker 1: current music with this show. So when you are out
Speaker 1: there looking at the talent that you see the people
Speaker 1: that come in what strikes you after seeing so many
Speaker 1: over the years.
Speaker 6: Well, you know, it's funny because I run into so
Speaker 6: many people saying I can't god, I can't believe you
Speaker 6: threw that particular person off. She was such or he
Speaker 6: was such a great singer. And I go, no, no,
Speaker 6: we're not looking for singers. We're looking for stylists. You
Speaker 6: follow me, and no one understands that. For a minute,
Speaker 6: I say, no, no, everybody can sing. That's why karaoke
Speaker 6: is so hot. You follow me. But what we're looking
Speaker 6: for is what's going to make you unique? Now that
Speaker 6: is the difficult part. And every year they come out
Speaker 6: with let me think about it, Alejandro, that's a unique fact.
Speaker 2: In other words, we didn't see him coming.
Speaker 6: And so now what people are getting the idea is
Speaker 6: we're now trying to find the next real artist, and
Speaker 6: not some great singer.
Speaker 1: Has seen these contestants perform. You see them in auditions,
Speaker 1: you see them on the live stage. Luke, has it
Speaker 1: influenced any of your live performances?
Speaker 5: When you go back to yourself, it makes me go
Speaker 5: sit at my piano and and work on stuff. And
Speaker 5: I tell you what too, You kind of have to
Speaker 5: It forces you to keep your finger on the pulse
Speaker 5: of too, because these kids are coming in singing this song.
Speaker 5: I think anytime you're you're all up in the middle
Speaker 5: of something fun and fresh and you got youth coming
Speaker 5: in front of you, it always energizes you and inspires
Speaker 5: you to stay current and relevant and be on your toes.
Speaker 6: So, I mean, you'd be surprised. And though I mean,
Speaker 6: for example, you think we're teaching them something, No, they're
Speaker 6: teaching us something because that's the next level of no fear,
Speaker 6: and the vocals aren't just staggering.
Speaker 2: Let me just tell you, it reminds you.
Speaker 4: To be grateful because there's, like, you know, hundreds and
Speaker 4: thousands of other kids that are just waiting in line
Speaker 4: for the opportunity that you actually have.
Speaker 1: I mean, Lucy Katie, we're playing your songs on a
Speaker 1: regular basis right here, and you think about the contestants
Speaker 1: that want that same thing in a way, right, I mean,
Speaker 1: that's what they want. And you look at the evolution
Speaker 1: of American Idol. It's changed over the years too, and
Speaker 1: you guys have navigated that. What intention did you have
Speaker 1: maybe in evolving the show with the times of what
Speaker 1: we see in music?
Speaker 3: Well, I think. You know, it's a different thing with
Speaker 3: us as judges.
Speaker 4: You've seen all the different judges that have come through
Speaker 4: the door, and I think we have been in their shoes.
Speaker 3: You know, we're working artists, we're on tour. You know
Speaker 3: we're coming in from tour.
Speaker 4: When we're actually filming exactly, so we know what it
Speaker 4: feels like to live a day in their shoes.
Speaker 3: And you know, we've all come from nothing and.
Speaker 4: Created this life of our own, so we can empathize,
Speaker 4: you know, some of their situations and know what they're
Speaker 4: talking about and give them real advice.
Speaker 3: Like and give them shortcuts. I think they respect us
Speaker 3: as artists.
Speaker 4: We respect them even when we're giving them top love
Speaker 4: or like constructive criticism, we're hoping that they win. We
Speaker 4: want every single kid that comes off of that show
Speaker 4: to win in their own way. Even if they don't
Speaker 4: win at the end, we want them to walk away
Speaker 4: with something that they can apply in real time and
Speaker 4: take them forward.
Speaker 1: And that's genuine, that's authentic, that's really literally.
Speaker 6: And then the most important part you have to remember
Speaker 6: is it's not about us. I mean, if you understand,
Speaker 6: we take their life under our wing. And so when
Speaker 6: someone walks in and says, you know, we're supposed to
Speaker 6: be talking about finding the next artist, the next American idol.
Speaker 6: And someone comes in and says, tell me about your
Speaker 6: family life, and they say.
Speaker 2: I'm homeless. Stop for a minute.
Speaker 6: You can't go to what song you're on to sing
Speaker 6: for us, You have to dive into let's talk about
Speaker 6: this homeless situation.
Speaker 2: How you deal with that?
Speaker 6: Now, that real audience, that real time moment is what
Speaker 6: breaks it down to. What's the difference between our show
Speaker 6: and anything else, because now we're now talking about real
Speaker 6: kids in their real lives and how what they're going
Speaker 6: to have to overcome to get to be a superstar.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 5: I think what's amazing too is a lot of times
Speaker 5: we're getting this emotional about these kids, like on the fly,
Speaker 5: like we we haven't even seen, you know, their backstories.
Speaker 5: So by the time you know, these kids are just
Speaker 5: kind of captivating us in the room. Well then by
Speaker 5: the time the show can go edit their hometown and
Speaker 5: their struggles, and then the people at home watch us,
Speaker 5: you know, be emotional, and then and then we see
Speaker 5: these viral moments that start happening, and then we get
Speaker 5: on our text. I mean you know, I think the
Speaker 5: world needs to know that. I mean, Ryan, you're on
Speaker 5: the text chain too. I mean, we get fired up
Speaker 5: about these wonderful, beautiful moments, moments because a beautiful moment
Speaker 5: on American Idol is just beautiful for the show, and
Speaker 5: it's great for human I mean, I know it sounds
Speaker 5: it's great for people.
Speaker 2: I was.
Speaker 1: In the elevator yesterday and the show aired Sunday night,
Speaker 1: and this gentleman it was probably my dad's age, right,
Speaker 1: and he kept sort of like looking at me, and
Speaker 1: I looked up when he said hello, and I said
Speaker 1: he And he said, can I just say something to you?
Speaker 1: And I said, sure, my name's Ryan, and do himself.
Speaker 2: He goes.
Speaker 1: I was crying last night because I was watching these
Speaker 1: stories of young people in our country on American Idol,
Speaker 1: and I just wanted to say it really it moved me.
Speaker 1: And that's to your point, like, yes, it's a show,
Speaker 1: Yes it's changing lives for those people, but it's also
Speaker 1: impacting people who are not even a part of it.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but gosh, we need it.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I feel like it's telling the story of what
Speaker 4: America could be.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Well, I mean, and it's a heavy morning this morning
Speaker 1: after some some very tragic news that we've been talking
Speaker 1: about you. So if you need a little escape and
Speaker 1: you want to feel something, check it out. American Idol
Speaker 1: Sunday and Monday, eight seventh Central. That is on ABC.
Speaker 1: Katy Perry, Atlanta, Richie, good to see you, guys.
Speaker 2: Hey, let me tell you something. You You are a superstar.
Speaker 6: I'm telling you, man, I don't know how you navigate
Speaker 6: all that you do, but you.
Speaker 2: We're so happy to have you a part of you.
Speaker 1: I can't wait to spend a lot of time in
Speaker 1: California with the