While guest hosting Country Countdown USA, Luke Bryan shed some perspective on why TikTok and other platforms used by young musicians have made an "American Idol" run invaluable, even for contestants that don't win the series.
Videos by Wide Open Country
"There are so many levels why kids are more advanced today," he said. "You can learn everything about music at the tips of your fingers. When 'Idol' launched, there was a sentiment that the kids weren't paying their dues. Now, it's another discovery device. Kids come on to gain followers and sell who they are as an artist. You don't have to win to have success."
Bryan debuted as an "American Idol" judge in 2018 when the series moved from Fox to ABC. He'll return in 2024 alongside Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.
Bryan told People in August that he didn't expect his "Idol" gig to be such an emotional experience.
"If you'd have told me, I would have cried in front of millions of Americans... I'm not there trying to put on this tough-country-guy act," he said. "I'm there to get involved in the emotion of the show. And sometimes what you're trying to say is not going to land perfectly. But for the most part, I know when I sit down behind that desk at American Idol, me and Lionel and Katy are doing our best and coming from a place of love and compassion."
Bryan's seventh season on "Idol" —and the series' 22nd overall— begins on Feb. 18, 2024. The judges will be joined by the show's host since day one, Ryan Seacrest.
Notable "Idol" winners include inaugural champion Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Scotty McCreery. Kellie Pickler, Lauren Alaina and Jennifer Hudson are among the non-winners to raise their public profiles on the show.
