Katy Perry seemed to be feeling a little sentimental and nostalgic when she decided to give a shout-out to American Idol as it enters season 21.
As the reality show singing series’ 21st anniversary quickly approaches, the pop superstar, who serves as one of three celebrity judges, took to her Instagram page and shared a throwback snap of herself as a 21-year-old in 2005.
“#idol is celebrating its 21st birthday this year,” she began in the caption of the photo of her standing in front of a rack of clothing, either in a store or in a walk-in closet.
You can see the Santa Barbara, California native staring straight at the camera in an off-white fringed sweater hanging from each of the short sleeves, with her dark locks pulled back from her face, with a big confident smile on her face.
The Firework star went on to share how her 21st birthday party was marred by a number of mishaps resulting in injuries.
Throwback: Katy Perry, 38, shares a throwback snap of herself on Instagram giving a shout-out to American Idol as the reality singing competition show approaches the 21st anniversary of its June 2002 premiere
When I turned 21 I rented a roller rink and had McDonald’s “caterer” along with 2 barrels in the middle of the rink… and two friends broke bones, but we had a lot of fun (so I was told I just had turned 21),’ she said of her birthday party.
She ended the post by continuing to promote the new Idol season and asking fans to share their experience of their milestone 21st birthday.
“By all means check out #idolrn and let me know what YOU did for your 21st (that you can remember) in the comments.
And there was no shortage of people who took to Instagram to respond to her request.
Many people kept it simple and shared comments like, “A friend took me to bars on the Indiana University campus!” and “Tomorrow we celebrate 21 in Vegas.”
There was even one woman who had no choice but to stay home and stay safe, writing, “Four(d) at home in a pandemic,” referring to COVID-19.
But there were others who had monumental experiences, such as meeting a long-lost relative.
‘When I turned 21 two days earlier I had always believed that thoughts become reality and so I always imagined meeting my birth mother and I believe she called me with the help of my PI on my birthday and we united’, said a grateful woman .
OG: American Idol premiered on Fox on June 11, 2002 with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson as judges; they are seen during the season one finale
Back in the day: Ryan Seacrest was only 28 and played the host of season one of American Idol
The first: Kelly Clarkson ended up winning the first American Idol title
The 21st birthday of many commentators marked the first legal drinking of alcohol in the US.
“I was in the hospital getting my gallbladder removed,” one woman revealed. “Nurses tried to help me celebrate by jokingly saying they would swap my IV bag of fluid for vodka, since they’re both clear fluids, it’s the same thing.”
One young man wrote: “I flew to LA – had lunch at Weho, went shopping in the afternoon, dined at Los Feliz…then I got shy in Hollywood and had UberEats deliver McDonald’s before passing out watching Golden Girls at 2am o’clock.’
And finally, there were some people who had already taken their first legal sips of alcohol in countries where the drinking age is 18 or 19.
“Celebrated with my university’s business professors in a pub in London while studying abroad, you know, where it’s legal to drink at 18,” one person shared, while others had said they had their first drink drunk in Canada when they were 19.
American Idol promo: Earlier on Sunday, Perry went into promo mode for the next episode of the reality show later tonight
Stylish: The pop superstar struck a few poses in a plaid off-the-shoulder dress
Idolmaker: The Firework singer-songwriter joined Idol as a judge when it moved to ABC in 2018
American Idol officially celebrates its 21st birthday on June 11, the date it premiered on Fox in 2002.
It went on to run for 15 seasons on the network before being canceled and the last show airing on April 7, 2016.
After a two-year hiatus, the reality competition series would get a new life on ABC, where it will now run for five more seasons.
Perry, along with Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie have served as judges since the show’s revival on ABC began.
Season 21 of the reality show singing competition just premieres on Feb. 19 with the same three judges back on the panel and Ryan Seacrest once again serving as host.
Earlier on Sunday, Perry once again slipped into promo mode for American Idol Instagram, sharing a series of snaps of herself decked out in a plaid off-the-shoulder dress and her raven-black locks draped over her chest and shoulder.
“Good girl is off PLAID (or at least back to prismatic vibes) on #americanidol tonight @ 8/7c,” she wrote.
Going strong: American Idol starring Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Ryan Seacrest is now in its sixth season on ABC
