One of the most lasting legacies of American Idol is one that many people never even consider. Back in 2009, when Adam Lambert was contending for the Idol title, the producers of the show brought in one of his favorite bands, Queen, to play with him on the show’s finale. While it was certainly meant to be a one-off gig at the time, nobody realized that a new musical partnership was being born on television: Lambert has toured with the band as its lead singer since 2011, with another set of shows planned for this summer. With Queen’s popularity renewed once again by the Oscar-winning biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, Idol will feature a Queen night next Sunday, with Lambert returning to the show as a mentor for the Top 8 contestants. Lambert told us he definitely looks at it as an opportunity to pay it forward, since being on Idol really prepared him for the stardom he’s found since being on the show. (Click on the media bar below to hear Adam Lambert)
American Idol airs Sunday and Monday nights at 8/7c on ABC.
When The Voice premiered, very few people could have predicted that it would last 16 seasons. As the show prepares to celebrate its 8th birthday this week (it debuted on April 26, 2011), we spoke to Blake Shelton. The country star, who — like Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine — has been with The Voice since the very beginning, told us why he thinks the competition has had such amazing longevity. (Click on the media bar below to hear Blake Shelton)
The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday nights at 8/7c on NBC.
Actor and musician Kiefer Sutherland (Designated Survivor, 24) is returning to the Grand Ole Opry on Friday, June 7.
“It is such an honor to be welcomed back to the Grand Ole Opry,” said Sutherland. “The country music community has been incredibly kind and inviting since I released my debut Down in a Hole album and now again with Reckless & Me. I’m excited to come back to the Opry and perform a couple of these new songs on such a renowned stage.”
Sutherland and his band will also perform the following day at CMA Fest over at the Budweiser Forever Country Stage.
Reckless & Me, a 10 track album which features the singles “Open Road” and “This Is How It’s Done,” comes out April 26.
U.S. tour dates in support of the album are also in the works.
When John Legend was young, he lived and breathed music, playing piano at the age of 4 and writing songs before he was a teenager. Watching the old TV show Star Search filled him with hopes and dreams of fame and fortune, and he even tried out for the show! So now that he’s a coach on The Voice, he can still hear those echoes of his younger self and empathize with these contestants who’ve got those very same dreams. (Click on the media bar below to hear John Legend)
The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday nights at 8/7c on NBC.
It surprised more than a few people when Katy Perry signed up to be a judge on ABC’s reboot of American Idol last year. Of course, there was plenty said about the nice payday she’d be receiving, but she told us her decision was about much more than money — after all, she’s made plenty of that from her own music career. She says the biggest selling point for Idol was its ability to let her help aspiring young musicians who are in the same place she was in before the stars aligned for her. (Click on the media bar below to hear Katy Perry)
American Idol airs Sunday and Monday nights at 8/7c on ABC.
Having been on The Voice through all 16 of its seasons so far, coach Blake Shelton knows a thing or two about how the show works. So, when he’s going up against stalwart rival Adam Levine and relative newbies like Kelly Clarkson and John Legend, has he taken all of that knowledge and formulated some kind of a winning strategy? If he has, he was awfully coy about it when he talked to us. (Click on the media bar below to hear Blake Shelton)
The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday nights at 8/7c on NBC.
One of the most lasting legacies of American Idol is one that many people never even consider. Back in 2009, when Adam Lambert was contending for the Idol title, the producers of the show brought in one of his favorite bands, Queen, to play with him on the show’s finale. While it was certainly meant to be a one-off gig at the time, nobody realized that a new musical partnership was being born on television: Lambert has toured with the band as its lead singer since 2011, with another set of shows planned for this summer. With Queen’s popularity renewed once again by the Oscar-winning biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, Idol will feature a Queen night next Sunday, with Lambert returning to the show as a mentor for the Top 8 contestants. Lambert told us he definitely looks at it as an opportunity to pay it forward, since being on Idol really prepared him for the stardom he’s found since being on the show. (Click on the media bar below to hear Adam Lambert)
