Twenty years after winning American Idol, Carrie Underwood is back! The country music superstar, 41, joined her fellow judges, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, and host Ryan Seacrest in NYC for a photo shoot on October 2 for the upcoming season of the singing competition.

“It’s been a whirlwind. They’ve been filming a lot of promotional content and auditions, so Carrie had to hit the ground running,” a source exclusively tells Life & Style.

The audition process alone is “like 13-hour days,” revealed Luke, 48. “We wake up and we get there, and what people don’t realize is we do 35 auditions a day, typically. And, man, you can’t  rush through them.”

Being on the other side of the table has been something of an adjustment for the American Idol alum, he admitted. “We had a kid [beg], ‘I will work so hard,’ and Carrie was like, ‘I didn’t realize they would do this,’” Luke recalled. “Carrie’s doing great [though]. We’re having fun. She knows exactly what all the kids are going through.”

Which is why the singer does not intend to be a Simon Cowell-type judge. “I think I can be honest and constructive, but still kind,” said Carrie. “And I think that’s the whole point, because people are coming in and it’s dreams. You’re part of somebody’s story from that moment on.”