Luke Bryan Reveals What Really Surprised Him about Working With Carrie Underwood on ‘American Idol’

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American Idol returns on January 26 for its 24th season.

Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie will serve as judges.

Luke opened up about working with fellow country star Carrie.

American Idol returns for its 24th season this week, and viewers can expect some major changes to the singing competition. The show is taking on an American Idol University theme, “Hollywood Week” is moving to Nashville, and fans will have a new way of voting via social media. But you can count on one thing staying the same: the familiar faces at the judges’ table.

Last season, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie were joined by American Idol season 4 winner Carrie Underwood. And that trio, along with Ryan Seacrest, are all back for the new episodes. In an interview with Cody Alan on SiriusXM’s The Highway, Luke opened up about what it’s really like to work with Carrie.

Cody asked the “Play It Again” singer to share something unexpected about working with Carrie. He said, “Well, you know, the thing I know about Carrie Underwood is she is the most on-time person you have ever met.”

LIONEL RICHIE, CARRIE UNDERWOOD, LUKE BRYAN

Christopher Willard – Getty Images

Luke continued, “I’m talking about punctual, dialed in, professional. I’m talking about like one minute before. Like [football coach] Bill Belichick taught her how to show up on time. And so I’m in my dressing room and I’m pretty good, but then I look on the monitor and see who’s in the chair already. And let’s say it’s 9:03, and there’s Carrie, ready, looking at her nails. We’re like, you know, throwing it on. So, just her punctuality.”

Luke got a chance to see Carrie’s family side, too, explaining, “I’ll tell you, you know, this is our second year that we’ve started together and just getting to know her and her family dynamic. I mean, having two boys, it’s really fun to hear the stories going on around their household.”

If you’re ready to tune in to the new season, keep in mind that the show will be airing on Monday nights on ABC.