Tori Kelly is returning to American Idol!
The Idol alum will be joining the singing competition’s upcoming 22nd season as a guest mentor and performer to hopeful contestants.
Kelly made it to Hollywood Week in season 9, when she was just 18 years old. Following her elimination, she self-released her debut EP, Handmade Songs, in 2012, kicking off her rise to stardom.
The “Young Gun” singer’s episode will tape at Aulani: A Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawai’i, showcasing Idol hopefuls as they perform on the beach in front of judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and host Ryan Seacrest.
360aproko spoke with the Idol judges last fall as they auditioned singers for the upcoming season — which marks their seventh together as a group.
“You can’t separate us,” Perry insisted. “You can’t break this fam down!”
“Don’t even try it!” Richie agreed.
The group shared that they learn more about each other every season, with this season in particular being revelatory as they traveled to each of their hometowns — Santa Barbara, California; Tuskegee, Alabama; and Leesburg, Georgia.
“Oh, you have no idea,” Richie promised, while Bryan recalled, “It was like being on a field trip.”
American Idol season 22 premieres Sunday Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. PT/ET on ABC.
