American Idol season 21 judges round auditions have begun in Las Vegas at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Check out an official photo from ABC that finds judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and host Ryan Seacrest ready for some action at the tables.
“We’re rollin’ the ?? on future #AmericanIdol hopefuls as we kick off taping for a new season.” The official American Idol socials announce.
American Idol judges round to take place in Las Vegas, New Orleans and Nashville
Besides Las Vegas, judges round auditions are also set to take place this fall in New Orleans between early to mid-October and Nashville between early and mid-November.
The American Idol judges auditions come on the heels of the iHeartRadio festival, which took place in Vegas over the weekend. Ryan hosted the show, while Lionel performed.
American Idol, The Voice returnees
Previously, we reported that a few auditioners are popping up in the media, confirming the audition locations. For instance, remember Haley Myles? Her name was Haley Slaton when she auditioned. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa singer was 5 1/2 months pregnant when she performed for the judges. Haley made it through the first week of Hollywood last season, but the show cut her after the duet round.
She met a fellow auditioner, Jordan Myles, during the judges round in Austin, Texas, and by the first of the year, they had married. Her new husband happily became step-dad to her new baby. She may or may not be auditioning in Las Vegas, however.
Familiar faces in Las Vegas!
Rumor has it that a few The Voice contestants are auditioning in front of the American Idol judges in Las Vegas including Josie Beth Jones from Season 17, Malik Heard from Season 10 and Presley Tennant from season 16.
In the meantime, American Idol is still accepting online auditions.
According to American Idol showrunner, Megan Michaels Wolflick, online auditions, which were introduced as a COVID-19 protocol, are here to stay.
“I would never go back to doing only in-person auditions, because you can audition from anywhere, anytime,” Wolflick told E News. “I get a window into their life. It’s like doing a home story every time: I can see what’s in the room. I can meet their mom. I can meet their cat. And you really get an idea for people and everything about them.”
“Noah Thompson, who won our show last year, would have never come to an open call,” Wolflick explained. “It would have never happened. I literally meet people every day who say, ‘I would have never thought about auditioning except for on Zoom. I thought, ‘Why not give it a shot.'”
American Idol season 21, the 6th on ABC, will premiere in early 2023.
