© Christopher Macsurak (CC BY 2.0)

The Fox network confirmed Sunday that Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban will sit on the judge’s panel for the upcoming 12th season of ‘American Idol.’

Minaj and Urban replace judges Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, who both judged the singing competition for two seasons.

“With the exciting addition of Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj, alongside Randy Jackson, ‘American Idol’s’ star power has never been so great,” executive producer Simon Fuller said in a press release.

This season, ‘American Idol’ is upping the number of judges from three to four. There were rumors that Jackson would be stepping down as a judge, but these rumors proved unfounded.

The three new ‘American Idol’ celebrity judges all bring very different fan bases with them. With country crooner Urban, powerhouse pop star Carey, and youth favorite Minaj on board, ‘American Idol’ could draw a wide variety of viewers to the show.

Jackson spoke to the Sun Times about the new judges. Minaj, he said, “brings a whole other cool vibe we’ve never had on the show, and Keith Urban? My God, he’s unbelievably talented!”

The official announcement came just hours before the first round of ‘American Idol’ auditions for next season were set to begin in New York.

The 12th season of ‘American Idol’ is set to air on Fox in January.