New American Idol Judge Kara DioGuardi Looking for Memorable Performances
August 25, 2008

Is three really a crowd? How about four? After sticking with the three-judge formula of Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul since its debut, American Idol has now pulled up a chair for Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi, who will be a permanent judge on the show when the eight season of Idol premieres in January 2009.

So who is Kara DioGuardi, you might ask?

Although originally wanting to be a singer herself, DioGuardi found herself on the other side of the mic as her career evolved into one of the industry’s most sought after songwriters in the same fashion as Diane Warren, who was once a guest judge on American Idol. If you're completely in the dark, DioGuardi’s songs have appeared on more than 100 million records and have been recorded by such artists as Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Celine Dion, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood, Santana, and Pink.

This morning when we got the news, The Deadbolt took part in an impromptu conference call to speak with new American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi to find out how she'll be approaching the show. When asked about how her approach to spotting talent will be different as compared to that of Simon, Randy and Paula, DioGuardi told The Deadbolt's Troy Rogers, much of it will depend on whether the upcoming Idols will leave a lasting impression.

"Well, for me it’s kind of going to be when I’m watching someone... Am I going to remember them in the morning? Am I going to remember that performance? Was it just so incredible? Was it so unique? Did they have their own spin on the song? That’s what I’m going to be looking for, because I think that’s important to being an artist, being a great artist."

Although American Idol has experimented with a four judge format in the past, mainly guest judges from season to season, it'll be interesting to see what Kara DioGuardi will bring to the judge's table.

In addition to the artists mentioned above, a slew of other high profile artists have also released songs penned by DioGuardi, including Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Pussycat Dolls, Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, Natasha Bedingfield, Jewel, Ashley Tisdale, Katharine McPhee, Taylor Hicks, Bo Bice, Clay Aiken, Ashlee Simpson, Hilary Duff, Jessica Simpson, Kylie Minogue, Enrique Iglesias, Nick Lachey and Marc Anthony.