The twelfth season of American Idol premiered on January 16, 2013, as part of the mid-season of the 2012–13 network television season.^[1] Ryan Seacrest returned as host. Randy Jackson returned for his twelfth season as judge and was joined by new judges Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, and Keith Urban, who replaced Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler.

On May 16, 2013, Candice Glover was crowned the winner, defeating Kree Harrison, who was the runner-up. In a series first, Glover's debut album, Music Speaks, was available for preorder immediately following the finale broadcast. Both Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj left after this season, having only served on the judges panel for one season, to focus on their music careers.^[2][3]

Changes from previous seasons

After a sharp drop in ratings during the eleventh season, Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly announced that the show would undergo "some creative tweaking" for the following season.^[4] After two seasons, judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler announced their exits from the series on July 12 and 13, 2012, respectively.^[5][6] On July 23, Mariah Carey was announced as a judge for the twelfth season.^[7] On September 16, returning judge Randy Jackson and new hires Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban were confirmed to also serve on the judges panel.^[8][9] On December 31, 2012, it was announced that Ryan Seacrest had signed on to remain the host for at least two more seasons.^[10]

Producer Nigel Lythgoe indicated on January 9, 2013, that during the Hollywood rounds, the men and women would perform on separate weeks, and be matched in equal number right up until the top 10 live shows.^[11] He also announced that there would be no Wild Cards.^[12] Instead, he instituted a brand new "sudden death" round in which the top 40 had to perform in front of a live audience, and then the judges would choose five out of the ten contestants per show to proceed to the top 20. The number of finalists was limited to ten for the first time since the first season.

This season also introduced the "SuperVote," where viewers were able to cast fifty votes at once online or through the new American Idol app, in addition to the regular voting methods.^[13] Voters were able to allocate any number of votes to one contestant or multiple contestants, for a total of fifty votes, across all online voting destinations.

This season also showcased an "Idol Update" segment by bringing back many American Idol alumni to perform or appear as guests in the audience. Alumni performers included Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, Katharine McPhee, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Adam Lambert, Lee DeWyze, Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, Phillip Phillips, Colton Dixon, and Jessica Sanchez.

Regional auditions

In an attempt to refresh the show's audition process, new means to audition were announced. First was the "American Idol Small Town Audition Bus Tour": a ten-town nationwide tour that gave hopefuls who couldn't make it to one of the large audition cities a chance to try out. These cities included Idaho Falls, Idaho; Billings, Montana; Casper, Wyoming; Rock Rapids, Iowa; Iowa City, Iowa; Bowling Green, Kentucky; Clarksdale, Mississippi; Joplin, Missouri; Dodge City, Kansas; and Grand Junction, Colorado. American Idol also began a "Nominate an Idol" program, which allowed friends and family of individuals they think could be the next American Idol to nominate said person in secret by filling out an online form and submitting a video of their nominee singing solo and a cappella. The chosen nominees would then be surprised on location by a film crew and given an opportunity to advance to the next round. Finally, online auditions for the twelfth season were open from August 1 to 14, 2012,^[1][14] and October 12 to November 4, 2012.^[15]

Auditions took place in the following cities:^[16][17]

Hollywood & Las Vegas

For the first time, the Hollywood rounds were held in the Valley Performing Arts Center in Northridge, California.^[26] The contestants were separated by gender, with the men performing in the first week and the women the next. There were three rounds each week: an a cappella performance, a group performance, and a solo performance.^[27] Unlike previous seasons, the groups were chosen by the producers, although each group was able to select a song from a list of twenty songs to perform. The men performed on February 6 and 7 and the women performed on February 13 and 14. The judges selected 20 men and 20 women to perform in front of a live studio audience at Love by Cirque De Soleil at The Mirage in Las Vegas. Only twenty contestants moved on from this round. The contestants were divided into four gender-separated groups of ten, with the women's performances airing on Wednesdays and the men's performances airing on Thursdays. Contestants performed in front of the judges and a studio audience, and received critiques from the judges at the end. After all of the contestants had performed, they were called one at a time to face the judges, who decided whether they would move on to the semifinals or not.

Color key:

Group 1

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Group 2

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Semifinals

The top 20 semifinalists performed in front of a live studio audience at Love by Cirque De Soleil at The Mirage in Las Vegas. The three-night event marked the first week viewers were allowed to cast votes. The women performed on the first night and the men on second night. On the third night, the show moved back to Los Angeles, and the top five men and top five women were announced. As each contestant walked out on stage, they performed their victory song. After the results were announced, Ryan Seacrest revealed that there would be a sing-off the next week between the sixth-place man and the sixth-place woman to determine who would be invited to join the top 10 on the 2013 summer.^[28]

Color key:

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.