Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie will return to the judging table for the third time during Season 18 of American Idol, which is slated to premiere on ABC on Feb. 16.

Over the last few months, the three judges have critiqued auditions by thousands of Idol hopefuls in more than 20 cities, including Nashville, New York, Las Vegas, Detroit, Chicago and more. During a break from auditions in November, Luke chatted with Nash Country Daily about what he’s looking forward to this season.

“It’s exciting,” says Luke. “It’s always about watching amazingly talented kids walk in the door from all these different backgrounds and knowing you can help facilitate their rise to stardom and their ability to get their music out there.”

Tune in to ABC in February to see Luke, Katy, Lionel and host Ryan Seacrest in action on American Idol.