Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi on The Season 10 Age Change

When MTV News caught up with Kara Dioguardi and Randy Jackson at last night’s VH1 Do Something Awards they asked the  duo how they felt about Idol’s decision to lower the age limit for auditioners from 16 to 15.

“I think different people will show up this time, ” Randy said. “You’re seeing stars like Justin Bieber, a lot of younger artists do it, you know? So you want to take advantage of that … there’s a lot of kids that are getting better earlier. It’s great.”

To assume that Idol is simply looking for the next teen sensation is short-sighted, according to Kara. “I mean, take LeAnn Rimes, at a very young age she was singing very deep country songs, and she had that old soul and it worked, ” she said. “It could be a kid who’s really young, who didn’t even know he was that talented, or it could be someone that’s a little bit older that, for whatever reason, it hasn’t worked out yet. That’s what’s exciting about the show: It’s about that dream and helping people realize it.”

Apparently, the powers that be had been mulling the age change for awhile, and the success of artists like Justin Bieber and other young stars helped them make the decision to go for it.

I still think the competition is too stressful for kids that young. It’s not like 15 year-old Idol hopefuls will be surrounded by handlers and advisers, as they would be if launching a music career. Even those adults who don’t know themselves well become overwhelmed by the competition. We’ll see how it works out. I say watch a couple of 15 year-olds make the Top 24, then watch them end up as early casualties…

Video after the jump: Kara MTV interview. And as a super-bonus–Access Hollywood asks Randy about Simon’s replacement.  Randy says we’ll know when he knows…

Video after the JUMP…

MTV – Kara Dioguardi

Access Hollywood – Randy Jackson

About mj santilli 34841 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!