The pop star reveals why sometimes she and her fellow American Idol judges soften their criticism

Being a judge on American Idol can be tough, but Katy Perry seems to have it down pat.

During an intimate listening session with the Top 8 contestants on Monday, the singer opened up about her duties and why she and fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie don’t always feel the need to tell a contestant they disliked their performance.

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“We can steer a little bit by our critiques — if we were to say on any given night, ‘Oh, that was a horrible performance,’ I think you would see that in the voting,” Perry, 34, told reporters during the session. “That’s why we like to be, sometimes, a little vague with our constructive criticism because I think we still have influence a bit. But what we have now for Top 8 is really strong — any one of those kids could be a star. So, it’s like, well, we did our work here and it’s up to those kids to make something of it — and it’s up to the American public to vote for it.”

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Image zoom Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie

After Sunday’s Disney night, America solidified the Top 8 — but the judges weren’t super impressed with some of the performances.

“Honestly, I don’t think that they all picked the right [songs],” Perry said.

Bryan added: “Well yeah, I think some of our contestants didn’t pick the right ones.”

“And we can say that because we’re off voting,” replied Perry.

Though times can get difficult as a judge, Perry said she’s grateful to be in the position she has.

Image zoom Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie ABC/Eric McCandless