ABC/Bob D’AmicoBrad Paisley didn’t even want to hear about taking part in a singing competition when his manager first approached him about appearing on ABC’s Rising Star. Only after his manager approached him a second time armed with footage from the show’s Israeli version did Brad decided to sign on as an expert for the American version, hosted by Josh Groban.

Brad tells ABC News, Radio, “It’s insane. It’s just the most dramatic, highest stakes performance setting I’ve ever seen.”

Contestants sing behind a video wall that rises based on viewers real-time votes at home. The singers actually get a sense of what viewers think of their performance as they’re singing, which is a big feat since the show airs live in three out of four U.S. time zones.

“We’re talking about trying to pull something off that works in countries that have one time zone and not a tenth of the population of America,” Brad explains. “Imagine when we get this thing fired up and people download that app, then you’ve got three or four time zones starting to vote. Crazy!”

Brad sits on the expert panel next to rapper Ludacris and pop star Kesha, who has made quite an impression on the country star.

Says Brad, “She is brutally honest, unbridled. She’s just is who she is. She’s the most unique human being I’ve met lately.”

For complete details on Rising Star voting, download the Rising Star app before the show premieres Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET. Check local listings for air time where you live.

Here’s the list of singers set to perform on Sunday’s premiere:

  • Lisa Punch, 21, Brooklyn, NY
  • Joshua Peavy, 28, Soperton, GA
  • Jesse Kinch, 20, Seaford, NY
  • Maneepat Myra Molloy, 16, Los Angeles, CA
  • Sarah Darling, 31, Nashville, TN
  • Summer Collins, 18, Fayetteville, NC
  • Colin Huntley, 16, Georgetown, TX
  • The duo: Daniel & Olivia,(Daniel Wolfe, 24 and Olivia Thai, 25, San Gabriel Valley, CA
  • A group called Beyond 5 from Nashville, TN. (Zac Love, 19; Tanner Myler, 19; TJ Ryan, 16; Patch Crowe, 19; Ammon Soloasa Tuimaualuga, 17)

 
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