Katy Perry Is Dorothy in Campy ‘American Idol’-Meets-‘Wizard of Oz’ Promo
Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Ryan Seacrest aren’t in Hollywood anymore!
American Idol debuted a Wizard of Oz-themed promo for its 22nd season with Rolling Stone on Friday, ahead of the show’s premiere on Feb. 18. The teaser hints at the theme of the newest season, which will see the show stop by different cities “big and small,” including the hometowns of each of the judges and some of the competition’s most iconic winners. (The judges were recently spotted filming in Perry’s native Santa Barbara.)
“Just like Dorothy, we all know there really is no place like home – and Idol cannot wait to share the judges’ special hometowns with our viewers – and show off the talent from each of the places they call home!” Seacrest tells Rolling Stone.
The promo — set to air during ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve broadcast — opens with Perry as Dorothy walking down the yellow brick road as she’s joined by Luke Bryan (the Scarecrow), Lionel Richie (the Lion), and Ryan Seacrest (the Tin Man) as they travel across the country.
In the video, the judges visit Kelly Clarkson’s Burleson in Texas, Carrie Underwood’s Checotah in Oklahoma, Adam Lambert’s San Diego in California, and recent winner Iam Tongi‘s Kahuku in Hawaii.
“For the new season of American Idol, we are celebrating cities big and small across the nation (including our very own judges’ famous hometowns!),” showrunner and executive producer Megan Michaels Wolflick tells Rolling Stone. “What better way to kick off the next chapter with an homage to the iconic movie The Wizard of Oz?”
Last season, Tongi made history as the first Hawaiian-born contestant to reach No. 1 in the competition. He told Rolling Stone he wanted to encourage other Polynesians like himself to be unafraid to pursue music careers.
“I want to put my people out there and make a name for us, and to show people that we have talent, because a lot of Polynesians are way better than me and they’re just too scared to do stuff like this,” he said earlier this year. “Katy [Perry] said I’m a great storyteller so I’ve been focusing on that. It’s really helped me.”