The “Perfect” replacements! Ed Sheeran and Alanis Morissette will fill in for American Idol judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie as they perform at King Charles III’s coronation.
The “Thinking Out Loud” artist, 32, and the “Ironic” singer, 48, will both make their first appearances on the iconic singing competition live on Sunday, May 7, ABC announced in a statement on Monday, May 1. In addition to being guest judges, Sheeran and Morissette will also perform their respective hits, with the “I’m a Mess” musician taking the stage for his new single, “Boat,” off of his forthcoming album, Subtract. The “Jagged Little Pill” artist will also mentor the Top 10 contestants, five of whom will sing songs from her catalogue that night. (The other five will pick tracks to perform from Sheeran’s discography.)
Perry, 38, and Richie, 73, will also check in to the show periodically from Windsor Castle.
The “Roar” artist and the “All Night Long” singer expressed their excitement last month about performing at Charles’ coronation on Sunday.
“To be in this part of history, I’m just blown away,” Richie told Entertainment Tonight at the time. “I’m so excited to be there. I’m walking in history.”
Perry, for her part, expressed just how “grateful” she was for the opportunity.
“I met His Majesty-to-be a few years ago and he named me as one of the ambassadors to his organization, The British Asian Trust, which is an organization that helps fight to end child trafficking,” the “Teenage Dream” singer told ET. “I’m also an ambassador for UNICEF, and it really aligned with my values. That’s mostly why I’m going, to be an ambassador and to say, ‘Hey, this is me from the USA.’ No, but it’s so cool.”
Sheeran, meanwhile, reportedly turned down an opportunity to perform at the king’s coronation. Amid the news of his Idol appearance, the four-time Grammy winner is battling a copyright lawsuit in court, defending himself from allegations that he ripped off Marvin Gaye’s iconic hit “Let’s Get It On” on his Grammy-winning record “Thinking Out Loud.” Per the New York Post, the U.K. native declared that he will quit music if he loses the case.
“If that happens, I’m done — I’m stopping,” Sheeran said in court on Monday. “I find it really insulting to work my whole life as a singer-songwriter and diminish it.” The “Tenerife Sea” artist is set to resume his worldwide “Mathematics” tour later this month.
