Dr. Luke won’t be signing on as an “American Idol” judge after all.
The in-demand music producer, who has crafted hits for such artists as Pink, Kelly Clarkson and Katy Perry, has decided not to join Keith Urban and Jennifer Lopez (the latter not yet officially confirmed) at the “Idol” judges’ table, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Luke – real name Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald – had been rumored for the gig but ran into a conflict of interest with his current label Sony Music, where his Kemosabe imprint is currently housed. Sony, of course, is a direct rival to Universal Music, which holds the rights to all “Idol” recordings.
In addition to the label issue, Luke reportedly decided the “Idol” gig would demand too much time away from Kemosabe, currently home to artists such as Juicy J, Ke$ha and up-and-coming singer/rapper Becky G.
So who will step in to fill the void left by Luke’s preemptive departure? As THR notes, another possibility is Justin Bieber manager Scooter Braun, who has a label deal with Universal and boasts a roster that includes boy band The Wanted, Psy and “The Way” songstress Ariana Grande.
Do you think Dr. Luke would have made a good addition to the “American Idol” judges’ table? What about Scooter Braun? Sound off in the comments.