American Idol returns to ABC tonight, but one familiar face won’t be at the judges’ table. After seven seasons, Katy Perry announced that Season 22 would be her last, making way for another Idol legend to take her place: Carrie Underwood.

The Grammy-winning county singer, who first rose to fame as the winner of American Idol in 2005, will take over Perry’s seat when the new season premieres on Sunday, March 9. She’ll be sitting alongside longtime judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, who have been part of the ABC reboot since 2018.

When recently asked on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon what it’s like to have an OG Idol on the panel, Richie said their new sidekick is a “jukebox… she knows every song that the contestants are singing,” joking that Underwood can’t help but join in. “I go, ‘Carrie, they’re competing. It’s not you. You already won,’” he quipped.

“I want to go and see the world and maybe bring new music,” Perry added. (She went on to release her seventh studio album, 143, in September 2024.) “It’s going to be a very, very exciting year for all pop star girlies,” she continued. “Let’s just say I’m creating space for my new wingspan.”

Underwood was officially announced as Perry’s replacement on Good Morning America in August 2024. “I remember being at home in our little house in Checotah and seeing on TV that there were auditions in St. Louis,” the 41-year-old singer said in a video revealing the big news. “My mom said, ‘If you wanna go, I’ll drive you.'”

“I went from nobody knowing my name to tens of millions of people watching the show,” she continued. “I’m proud of everything that I was able to accomplish on the show and I’m so proud of everything that I’ve accomplished since.”

When Did Carrie Underwood Win American Idol?

“American Idol” Season 4 – Winner, Carrie Underwood, 21, from Checotah, Oklahoma (Photo by Ray … [+]

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Underwood won Season 4 of American Idol in 2005 at 21 years old, with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson serving as judges. For her audition, she performed Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”

In a YouTube video shared a few days before Season 23’s premiere, the Oklahoma native reflected on the audition that changed her life. “I have no idea how that 21-year-old Carrie was able to muster up enough guts to walk into a room and audition in front of Simon, Paul and Randy and the world,” she said.

Underwood introduced herself as a girl who “grew up on a farm” and that hadn’t experienced many things, like flying on an airplane. When she began singing, Cowell interrupted her—a moment she initially took as a bad sign.

“He immediately gave me a compliment, and then said, ‘I’m surprised we haven’t found any good country singers,’ which surprised me. And then told me to keep being me. I feel like he deserves a lot of credit,” she said in the video.

She earned a golden ticket and advanced to Hollywood, where the judges encouraged her to take risks. After her performance of Tiffany’s “Could’ve Been” in the Top 24, Cowell declared her “one of the favorites to win this competition,” solidifying her status as a frontrunner.

Underwood was so popular during her season that the show’s former executive producer, Nigel Lythgoe, told The New York Times in 2008 that the singer “dominated the voting, winning every week by a large margin.”

In the May 2005 finale, Underwood faced off against Bo Bice in the final two. She performed Martina McBride’s “Independence Day” before being crowned the Season 4 winner. She then sang “Inside Your Heaven” as her victory song, celebrating her win as confetti rained down around her.

Since winning American Idol, Underwood has released nine studio albums and earned eight Grammy Awards, making her one of country music’s biggest stars. With over 85 million records sold worldwide, she is set to conclude her Las Vegas residency, REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency, in April 2025.

American Idol Season 23 premieres on Sunday, March 9 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. New episodes will be available the next day on Hulu.