Heavy/Getty Katy Perry
The “American Idol” judges are gearing up for season 21’s Hollywood Week, which airs this Sunday, April 2, and Monday, April 3, at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC. While stopping by “The View” to talk about the show, Luke Bryan revealed that Katy Perry has a very “tense” moment with a contestant.
“Hollywood Week is like survival of the fittest. People lose their voice, they melt down… It’s TV, it’s drama, it’s real life,” Perry said, to which Bryan replied, “Well we had one Hollywood Week, I mean Katy had to get on somebody pretty good. I don’t want to spoil too much but it was one of the more tense moments we’ve ever had [on ‘American Idol’].”
The ‘Idol’ Judges Are Excited for the Return of Iam Tongi in Hollywood Week
Although it hasn’t aired yet, Perry explained what led to her having a “tense” moment in season 21’s Hollywood Week, telling “The View” co-hosts, “You know, I stick up for those underdogs, and… all of us, we have so much respect for this. For music, and the game, and the whole thing, and so when someone is not taking it respectfully we call it out.”
One aspect of Hollywood Week that the judges are more excited for is that fans get to see the return of some of their favorite auditioners, some of whom they haven’t seen since the “American Idol” season premiere aired on February 19.
One contestant that they cite is Iam Tongi, who auditioned in the premiere in honor of his father, who passed away months prior to his audition. Tongi got emotional before performing, but eventually was able to play guitar as he sang “Monsters” by James Blunt, a song with the lyrics, “And while you’re sleeping I’ll try to make you proud / So, daddy, won’t you just close your eyes?/ Don’t be afraid, it’s my turn / To chase the monsters away”. All three judges were brought to tears, and Tongi’s audition went viral, with the YouTube clip amassing over 10 million views by the time the Hollywood Week episodes aired.
“We had over 150 million impressions and views of his audition, but what’s interesting is the ‘Idol’ fans haven’t seen him since day one. So the next time that they’re going to get to watch him perform is Hollywood Week, so we’re excited that some of these big viral sensations out there are going to be back on TV,” Bryan told “The View” co-hosts.
The judges also appeared on “Good Morning America” where they shared a short clip of Tongi during Hollywood Week, performing “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt. See the clip below.
7 ‘Idol’ Finalists Return for Hollywood Week
The judges and contestants aren’t the only stars excited for Hollywood Week, as this season, “Idol” is bringing back 7 former finalists to help mentor the new contestants through what has historically been a very difficult round of the competition.
This season, instead of focusing on a given musical genre, the contestants are being given their choice of three areas of focus: confidence, songwriting and stage presence. Based on their choice, they will be assigned two former “Idol” stars as mentors (season seven runner-up David Archuleta and season two runner-up Clay Aiken for the confidence group, season 11 winner Phillip Phillips and season 16 top-seven finisher Catie Turner for the songwriting group, and season six winner Jordin Sparks and season one runner-up Justin Guarini for the stage presence group) with the most recent “American Idol”, season 20 winner Noah Thompson, serving as a general mentor for all of the contestants.
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