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Backstage Country

Carrie Underwood: Is She American Idol’s Next Judge?

Carrie Underwood will likely be the judge who takes Katy Perry’s place on the next Season of American Idol, according to reports. She is expected to sit alongside Lionel Richie…

Carrie Undeerwood in a white dress with American Idol Host Ryan Seacrest.

Ryan Seacrest and Carrie Underwood speak onstage during FOX’s “American Idol” Finale For The Farewell Season at Dolby Theatre on April 7, 2016 in Hollywood, California. at Dolby Theatre

Kevork Djanson/Getty Images

Carrie Underwood will likely be the judge who takes Katy Perry's place on the next Season of American Idol, according to reports. She is expected to sit alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan at the judges table for Season 25.

While the final deal has not yet been made, Deadline is reporting that the two parties are "close to a deal." At press time, we have no confirmation from Underwood's management on the matter.

Carrie, along with Kelly Clarkson, is considered to be the most successful American Idol winner. Underwood won Season Four in 2005. She has since gone on to sell over 66 million records.

In May, Katy Perry did her last Idol show after saying she would leave to work on music and tour. She said one of the hardest parts for her was saying goodbye to her fellow judges, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan. Perry admitted that Richie simply telling her that he'd miss her was the first thing to set off the waterworks. But, in classic Katy Perry fashion, she made light of the situation and ordered pizza during the show, "and that helped," she noted.

She shared the moment on social media, turning to the camera briefly to shrug, then threw the pepperoni slice into the crowd. The fans seemed confused, even though they tried catching the slice. Perry then playfully danced for the cameras.

When asked about who should replace her, Perry told reporters, "I hope it's someone fearless. I hope it's someone that doesn't mince their words, maybe someone a little polarizing just like myself."

As for Underwood, she recently made the most of her time in Hawaii recently. She posted a bunch of photos of herself and her band in a Hawaiian shirts frolicking at the beach.

In her first Instagram post, Carrie posted a video collage of herself and her group in Hawaiian shirts and sunglasses to her song "One Way Ticket." She captioned the post, "Having a little too much fun in #Honolulu with the band! #Hawaii #WeTotallyBlendIn @bassmmmbass @edeasonofficial @chadjeffers @sasheriff @jordancolelawson @sydperryky @mattreviere @sethgrausch #FunGuys."

In a second Hawaiian photo dump to her 13 million Instagram followers, she shared more group photos at the beach, in a human pyramid, and at a park; she wrote, "Don't mind us, folks. We're just out here living our best lives! No band members were harmed in the taking of these pictures! #CUinHawaii #honolulu #FunGuys #BlendingIn."

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.