Kara Dio Guardi, the American singer-songwriter, has revealed that she is set to be the head judge on a new singing contest, just a month after leaving the hit US show American Idol, reports Rolling Stone.
The 39-year-old will join the judging panel on 'Going Platinum', a new show set to premiere on Bravo next year, which will see 12 contestants compete for a $100,000 publishing deal with Sony, and a record deal with RCA/Jive. The singer and actress Jewel is set to host the show, and will also mentor the singing hopefuls. 'Going Platinum' is looking to set itself apart from AMERICAN IDOL by offering its contestants the opportunity to write and perform their own music for the show, rather than singing established hits, and the judges will decide who stays and who goes, rather than the television audience. A representative for 'Going Platinum' said that the new show will see "personal drama unfold". It was also confirmed that well-known recording artists will feature as guest judges each week.
DioGuardi left Simon Cowell'S hit show last month, and in a statement at the time said, "I felt like I won the lottery when I joined American Idol two years ago but I feel like now is the best time to leave".