R&B superstar Mariah Carey is about a week into taping as a judge on American Idol, and since the episodes aren’t set to air until January, fans are anxious to know just what type of judge she will be.
“I try to be honest and I try to be constructive,” Carey revealed of her judging style to the Hollywood Reporter. “I don’t know if that means that I’m nice or mean or whatever.”
Thus far, Carey has described the experience as eye-opening. “It’s been very interesting,” said the mother of two. “The main thing is seeing how many diverse voices there are out there, and how much untapped talent there really is and we’re only in the first two shows.”
Carey, whose career spans back to 1990, says she plans to bring more than just her experience as a vocalist to the show. “I’m a producer and I’m a songwriter, and I look at myself as a singer as kind of third,” she said. “I look at these kids as though we’re in the studio producing a record. And if I feel they should have done something a certain way, I’ll say, ‘You can try this, you can try this,’ only in a constructive way, to sort of be a guide.”
The upcoming season of American Idol will include many new faces. Along with returning judge Randy Jackson, Carey will be joined by rapper Nicki Minaj and singer-songwriter Keith Urban. The show’s 12th season premieres this January.
