American Idol: Why Carrie Underwood replacing Katy Perry is the best thing to happen to the show

Carrie Underwood is set to bring back the heart that American Idol has been missing after officially being confirmed to replace Katy Perry as a judge.

As one of the most successful and beloved winners to come from the show, snapping her up is a no brainer.

The stars appear to have particularly aligned as Underwood’s tenure will be screened 20 years after she went from a hopeful to bona fide country music queen, with countless awards and 85 million record sales to her name.

It’s unbelievable that American Idol has actually been going for 22 years and counting.

In that time, it has produced a number of big names, including Grammy Award winning Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson, plus, Fantasia Barrino who appeared in the Broadway and movie version of musical The Color Purple.

Refreshingly, Carrie has never tried to criticise the show or downplay where she came from. I’ve had the pleasure to meet and interview her on a number of occasions over the years and she told me she is fiercely proud of her reality TV roots.

She sees people and knows she wouldn’t be half the artist she is without her loyal and dedicated fanbase.

She is the people’s champion and I got to see this up close when Carrie spent time talking to my dad who was a huge fan of her music and had terminal cancer.

Together, my dad and I watched Carrie from her original stand-out audition to being crowned winner. We then attended all of her UK shows, including her very first at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2012.

It was only fitting therefore that her song See You Again played out as we said our final goodbyes at his funeral last year. I later commemorated this with a tattoo featuring her poignant lyrics about carrying the memory of a loved one with you and having faith that you will one day be reunited.

I’m eternally grateful to Carrie Underwood for the kindness she showed towards my terminally ill dad Andy, who was a massive fan of her music (Tina Campbell)

Back in the day American Idol was appointment viewing, but it has been years since I can remember last watching an episode.

The show averaged 12.7 million viewers in its first season and later saw those numbers grow in season two to 21.7 million, according to The New York Times. In comparison, the season 22 finale which aired in May saw just 5.64M tuning in.

Carrie joining Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan on the panel will bring back a lot of the old viewers and draw in some new ones too.

My dad would be beyond excited by her latest career move and I will be tuning in on his behalf.