WhenLuke Bryanjoined theAmerican Idoljudging panel alongsideKaty PerryandLionel Richie, he never expected the amount of emotion the singing competition series would evoke. But now, after five years on the job, he’s leaning in.
“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,” Bryan tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. “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.”
He continues: “But for the most part, I know when I sit down behind that desk atAmerican Idol, me and Lionel and Katy are doing our best and coming from a place of love and compassion.”
Bryan, 47, Perry, 38, and Richie, 74, signed onto the show with hostRyan Seacrestwhen it returned from a two-year hiatus in 2018. All three recently confirmed they’ll return for season 22 next year.
Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan.Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty
Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty
With an audience of millions,Idolhas also helped Bryan expand his reach to new fans, as he says it opens him up to “a whole ‘nother level of opportunities” and exposure — and friendships he’ll have for life.
Now, the star tells PEOPLE that sticking up for one another is something “we all would do for each other.”
“It’s just the way it is. We’ve been on set for 12 days and something that happens, you don’t even know it’s going to potentially become a deal later on,” he says. “We just have to show up and be ourselves. Nothing about Katy Perry is premeditated and planned and nothing about me is. We have to have the ability to go off the cuff, express emotions.”
Adds Richie: “Luke is the most honest and genuine personality. Working with him onAmerican Idolis not work. It’s a big play period—and he’s still trying to get me to go hunting and fishing.”
Luke Bryan.
When he’s not filming, Bryan stays plenty busy with a robust touring schedule (including his annual Farm Tour andCrash My Playa festival), plus a final set of dates forhis Las Vegas residency.
“For most of my career I went up there going, I got to prove myself. So it’s really liberating and gratifying to just go, I am what I am,” he says. “I earned it the old-fashioned way: working my butt off. A lot of people have propped me up and helped me along the way, and I hope they can enjoy the ride too.”
For more on Luke Bryan, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.
source: people.com
