Katy Perry Explains Why American Idol Judges Won't Always Say If They Dislike a Performance

Being a judge on American Idol can be tough, but Katy Perry seems to have it down pat.

During an intimate listening session with the Top 8 contestants on Monday, the singer opened up about her duties and why she and fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie don’t always feel the need to tell a contestant they disliked their performance.

“We can steer a little bit by our critiques — if we were to say on any given night, ‘Oh, that was a horrible performance,’ I think you would see that in the voting,” Perry, 34, told reporters during the session. “That’s why we like to be, sometimes, a little vague with our constructive criticism because I think we still have influence a bit. But what we have now for Top 8 is really strong — any one of those kids could be a star. So, it’s like, well, we did our work here and it’s up to those kids to make something of it — and it’s up to the American public to vote for it.”

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After Sunday’s Disney night, America solidified the Top 8 — but the judges weren’t super impressed with some of the performances.

“Honestly, I don’t think that they all picked the right [songs],” Perry said.

Bryan added: “Well yeah, I think some of our contestants didn’t pick the right ones.”

“And we can say that because we’re off voting,” replied Perry.

Though times can get difficult as a judge, Perry said she’s grateful to be in the position she has.

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“I mean, one of the only reasons why I’m here is because I had a mentor when I first got to L.A. who was helping me develop my songwriting that was telling me the truth,” she said. “A lot of people cringe at a [label] person and they cringe at major labels, but they do need those people that help guide them just to help look after them and their best interests. We really find the ones that we’re invested in, we love on them and we really want them to win in whatever way.”