Keith Urban, ‘American Idol’ Judges Are Finding Their Groove

Keith Urban has spent much of the last few months traveling as one of the "American Idol" judges, searching for new talent. The New Zealand-born singer, who joins returning judge Randy Jackson, along with fellow newcomers Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj, admits it was a bit of a challenge in the beginning, but insists everything is going smoothly now.

"There's a learning curve in any job," he tells California radio station K-FROG, referring to the alleged feud between Mariah and Nicki. "We're just getting our groove. We're like four people on the dance floor stepping on each other's toes, until we get the hang of it."

The singer-songwriter acknowledges he has heard amazing talent from all over the country. "When I think about the amount of artists that we've seen, it's got to be pretty huge," he notes. "I know we're sending well over 200 people to Hollywood. We started out in New York, and we've been everywhere -- Chicago, Baton Rouge, Charlotte. We were in Oklahoma City. We're in San Antonio. What's been great about this show is in addition to us traveling around to all these cities, Idol also has a bus that goes out to even further places -- South Dakota and Iowa and everywhere. So the people that can't get to an audition, a lot of them lucked into the fact that the bus rolls into the town and they can audition right there."

Keith recently announced his new tour, which will include Little Big Town and Justin Lynch as his opening acts. But while 2013 will be a busy year, he says sitting as a judge on the hit TV show is easier than performing before sold-out crowds night after night.

"There's a lot more things to do," the country music superstar explains. "At the same time, it's pretty rewarding too, getting out on the stage and playing with everybody."

Keith's debut as a judge on Season 12 of "American Idol" will be on January 16 at 8:00 PM ET on FOX. His tour will kick off on July 18 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Watch his funny video announcing the upcoming tour here.