‘American Idol’ judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie discuss the pressures of Hollywood Week

HOLLYWOOD– American Idol is now into Hollywood Week, and it’s extremely competitive, pressurized, and uncompromising as the judges are forced to make a dramatic amount of cuts before the live shows begin in a few weeks.

“No matter what, we’ve got to get to so many kids, and that’s not a pretty thing,” Luke Bryan said. “But I think the kids are enjoying the ride. You enjoy the process. They enjoy getting in here and fighting it out.”

The young singers who made it to Hollywood are now singing with all their hearts to stay here. The big difference? You can now see and hear your competition.

“In that case, they all come armed,” said Lionel Richie. “Let me tell you what happened this time. They sat in that audience and they saw everyone else, and everyone else took their game to the next level. These kids are killing it to the point where we’re making heavy cuts now that would never come this early.”

Judge Katy Perry calls Hollywood Week “survival of the fittest” because it’s so physically and mentally taxing.

“People are just fighting like never before,” she said. “They are fighting for their whole family at home. They fight for their dream. They’re fighting to change their life, their situation, and it’s just the gnarliest and the most beautiful and the most humanizing fight.”

Isaac Brown, who grew up in Fresno and Inglewood, is one of the singers in this fight.

For him, American Idol is the American Dream, and it’s just getting started!

“In five years I want to prepare for the Super Bowl. I want to win a Grammy,” Brown said.

American Idol airs Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.