Keith Urban Says He, Fellow ‘American Idol’ Judges Still Getting Into a Groove

Season 13 of 'American Idol' doesn't even premiere until January, but it sounds like there's already been an entire season's worth of drama. Country crooner and 'Idol' judge Keith Urban admitted in a recent interview that there have been a few rough patches, but he says they are nothing to worry about.

Reportedly, a lot of the publicized drama has come from battles between Urban's fellow newcomers Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj. Fortunately, their spat was just verbal -- no physical altercations took place -- and both judges denied that there was any bad blood between them.

In an interview with KFROG, Urban hinted that the four 'Idol' judges aren't quite comfortable with one another yet.

"There’s a learning curve in any job, right?” Urban said. “We’re just getting our grooves. We’re like four people on the dance floor stepping on each others toes until we get the hang of it.”

The 'You Gonna Fly' hitmaker has confirmed in a previous interview that -- despite any rumors -- he's having fun on the 'American Idol' set. “I gotta say, I love working with passionate people. I love artists, and I like everyone just sort of expressing themselves. It’s a very alive, very invigorating work environment,” he noted.

Part of the tension between judges could come from the audition schedule, which has the 'Idol' judges and producers jet-setting all over the country. Urban listed New York, Austin, San Antonio, Chicago, Baton Rouge and Oklahoma City as some of the stops they've made to select contestants for the upcoming season.

"'Idol' also has a bus that goes out even further -- South Dakota, Iowa. So for people who can’t get to an audition, a lot of them have lucked into the fact that this bus rolls right into their town," Urban said, adding that 'Idol' judges have sent “well over 200 people to Hollywood already.”

Although his schedule is jam-packed, the singer says that his touring schedule is much busier than the 'Idol' schedule. He will hit the road next summer with Dustin Lynch and Little Big Town along for the ride.