The gang’s all coming back! When American Idol returns for season 4, there will be all familiar faces. On Wednesday, the ABC music competition announced that Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie will all be returning as judges. Host Ryan Seacrest will also be back. 

Remote virtual auditions are currently taking place across all 50 states. Musical hopefuls will get the chance to perform for an American Idol producer and get real-time feedback on their auditions on any “Idol Across America” date. 

“American Idol has always been able to bring people together, entertain and inspire – and I am so proud of how this show continued to deliver joy and laughter into people’s homes during a time when we needed it the most,” said Karey Burke, president of ABC Entertainment. “There is no one who we feel more confident about leading us into a new season of high notes than Luke, Katy, Lionel and the incomparable Ryan Seacrest.”

The show successfully finished season 3 virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year. 

It is unknown when the show will return for season 4, but Perry has a major milestone that has to happen first — the birth of her first child. The 35-year-old singer is currently expecting a baby girl this summer with her fiance, Orlando Bloom. 

Prior to the Idol announcement, Bryan opened up to 360aproko about whether he’d return to the show. 

“I am going to speak for myself that I certainly want to be at the judges’ table and it is something I love doing,” Bryan said earlier this month. “I love being on the ground floor of these artists coming in and watching these dreams start to come true and I think American Idol is really really important for music.”