Photo: ABC
Luke Bryan shared his reaction when the entire American Idol crowd took part in a sing-along of “Before He Cheats,” one of Carrie Underwood’s biggest hits.
Bryan stood o the side of the stage as the Hollywood Week crowd sang the 2005 cheating anthem at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. American Idol’s iconic Hollywood Week moved to Nashville for the first time this year, and this time, contestants only have one round to deliver “make-or-break performances” during Hollywood Week: Music City Takeover, which makes this “the biggest Hollywood Week cut in Idol history,” according to ABC.
“What’s up? We’re at Belmont taping Hollywood Week, and everybody’s singing Carrie Underwood music. It’s glorious,” Bryan said in a clip he shared on TikTok on Monday (February 23). He added in his caption, “maybe ‘Country Girl’ next? Ha.” The five-time Entertainer of the Year released “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” on his 13-track studio album, Tailgates & Tanlines, in 2011.
Bryan returned to American Idol for another year as a judge, along with Lionel Richie and Underwood, who won the show’s fourth season in 2005. The trio reunite with longtime host Ryan Seacrest, plus this season’s mentors, Brad Paisley and Keke Palmer. American Idol airs on ABC on Monday nights from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET/PT. It’s available to stream the next day on Hulu.
Bryan joined the star-studded lineup of the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival. The lineup also includes Kane Brown, Parker McCollum, Riley Green, Shaboozey, Dylan Scott, Russell Dickerson, Gretchen Wilson, Chase Matthew and Lauren Alaina. iHeartRadio's Bobby Bones is returning as the event’s host. The show will take place on May 2 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Tickets to the show are available as of January 23. Fans across the country will be able to catch all the action as the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival will be broadcast live across iHeartCountry stations nationwide and the free iHeartRadio app on Saturday, May 2nd at 8pm ET/5pm PT (7pm CT).