Luke Bryan will be sitting in one of the judges' chairs when American Idol returns to the small screen, and he admits he takes the responsibility seriously. Maybe even a little too seriously.

"You don't expect all the emotions," Bryan explained of his fellow judges, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, during an appearance on Good Morning America on Tuesday (March 6) to promote the upcoming season.

"I mean, I have laid awake... worrying about, 'Did I make the right decision?' with some of these contestants," he admits. "It's so critical."

Do You Remember These Future Stars' American Idol Auditions?

The laid-back, good-natured superstar is not exactly the heir apparent to Simon Cowell. He says one of his big worries was how to let contestants down after a tryout that wasn't good enough to send them through to another round. After experiencing the massive volume of auditions first-hand, though, it got easier due to sheer exhaustion.

"It's a little out of my comfort zone to just pick people apart, you know, but you have to, it's what you signed up for," he explains. "I remember our first day on set... and when somebody doesn't need to make it through, there's no way around, you've got to say no. I'm like, 'Oh god, I gotta tell 'em no...,' but then when you learn after 14-hour days of filming, you're like, 'No! It's time to get the next person in!'"

The new season of American Idol is set to premiere on its new network of ABC on Sunday (March 11) at 8PM ET.

Where Are Country's Idol Finalists Now?

Here's Why We're Looking Forward to Luke Bryan on American Idol

More From 104.3 Wow Country