Dr. Luke will apparently not be a judge on American Idol's thirteenth season after all -- contrary to prior reports.
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While E! News reported earlier this week Dr. Luke, a 39-year-old American songwriter and record producer formally known as Lukasz Gottwald, officially signed on as a new Idol judge, that's actually not the case, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Dr. Luke reportedly believes serving on American Idol's judging panel would be too much of a time commitment, as he's currently busy with his Kemosabe recording label which he launched with Sony Music in 2011. Kemosabe is home to big upcoming artists like Bonnie McKee and rapper Juicy J.
"He really loves his artists and wants to build up the label," a source told The Reporter, adding that Kemosabe is also "on the cusp" of achieving success with new artist Becky G.
"Luke wants to build an entertainment company... after a lot of conversations, both Luke and Sony Music CEO Doug Morris came to the mutual agreement that taking Dr. Luke out of the Idol running 'was the best thing for all parties.'"
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Dr. Luke has written and produced songs for stars such as Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, and Ke$ha.
Reports Dr. Luke was in talks to become a new Idol judge first surfaced last week.
Discussions with the musician reportedly began only when negotiations with recording artist and Black Eyed Peas rapper will.i.am, 38, fell through due to a salary dispute. E! News reported, however, will.i.am turned down Idol and opted to return as a coach on The Voice's U.K. version for its third season.
Country star Keith Urban's spot on next season's judging panel has been confirmed. Jennifer Lopez is also expected to come back although she has yet to formally announce her Idol participation.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski