Keith Urban is in the midst of taping for his third season as an American Idol judge, but filming got off to a rocky start when his father-in-law passed away in September. The 47-year-old had to skip a few New York sessions while an AI alum lent a helping hand.
"Adam Lambert stepped up and filled in for me," Urban told The Hollywood Reporter. "It was an amazing thing to see that support. I am very grateful, and I don't take those things for granted. You would think people would have a heart. When I saw it in action with all of the network at FOX and all of the people involved with Idol, and then of course my fan base, it was an extraordinary thing."
The 14th season will also feature Big Machine founder Scott Borchetta, who discovered Taylor Swift, as a mentor. But Urban said the group of judges (himself, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick, Jr.) is not looking to "find the next anybody."
"We want to find individualism and uniqueness -- that's what I am waiting for with Idol," Urban said. "I want to find that person who is just extraordinarily original. Adele was very original, Taylor was very original - they're artists that really solidified their careers and made significant albums. They're the ones everybody else tries to copy, so I'm interested in finding originals."
There are a couple prominent changes to the show's format this year. One, there will be a segment called "The Showcase," which will feature the Top 48 singing in front of a live audience at Los Angeles' House of Blues.
"For me, it was an important part of the process," he said. "In years past we see them [contestants] in these audition environments and then they go straight to the TV show. I wanted to see what they were like in a club setting."
Another wrinkle, according to THR: The judges are getting to know the personalities of the contestants much better prior to show's "Green Mile" cuts, where a singer learns if they are advancing to the show.
"This season, we brought in a select amount of people to talk to us a little bit," Urban said.
Check out the trailer below:
