Former “American Idol” judge Paula Abdul and singer/songwriter/dancer Jason Derulo will be judges on “So You Think You Can Dance,” Fox announced Thursday.
Abdul and Derulo will replace Mary Murphy, who announced Jan. 12 she will not return to the series.
“Paula is an incredible artist and she brings the perfect combination of expertise and heart to the panel,” said executive producer and judge Nigel Lythgoe.
“Jason’s insight, humor and creativity will add a new perspective to the panel that we haven’t had before.”
Abdul was a judge for first eight seasons of Fox’s “American Idol” and the first season of Fox’s since-canceled singing competition “The X Factor.” She was recently the lead judge on the Australian dance competition series, “So You Think You Can Dance Australia.”
Derulo has sold more than 45 million records worldwide and amassed almost 1.5 billion views on his YouTube channel.
The 12th season of “So You Think You Can Dance” will have a “stage vs. street” format, with dancers who advance throughout the auditions placed onto two teams.
The stage dancers team will consist of those trained in such styles as contemporary, ballet, jazz or tap. The street dancers will be skilled in such styles as hip-hop, animation or breaking.
Following the selection of the Top 20 — 10 street dancers and 10 stage dancers — one dancer from each team will be eliminated each week.
Auditions for “So You Think You Can Dance” will begin Saturday in New York City and conclude in Los Angeles March 15.
More information about the auditions is available online at fox.com/dance.
