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‘The Four’ Fox Reality Competition Sets Sean Combs, DJ Khaled, Meghan Trainor & Charlie Walk As Stars, Gets Premiere Date

Deadline

by: Nellie Andreeva, Erik Pedersen

After a lengthy search and deal-making process, Fox has locked in the four-person panel of experts for its new singing competition reality series The Four: Battle for Stardom. Sean “Diddy” Combs, producer DJ Khaled, singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor and record label exec Charlie Walk have sign on to headline the series, which will premiere on January 4 and air Thursdays at 8 PM.

As expected, The Four will beat to air ABC’s reboot of former Fox mega hit American Idol, which will launch in March and air on Sundays. The Four, Fox’s response to Idol 2.0, also will air while NBC’s rival singing competition The Voice is on hiatus, on one of the nights the original aired on Fox toward the end of its run.

The Four, created by Armoza Formats and produced by ITV Entertainment in association with Armoza, works backwards from typical competition shows: four finalists, chosen from their auditions, will try to defend their coveted spots on the stage, as they are challenged by new singers determined to replace them. Each week, if any of the four are outperformed as determined by a panel of judges, they’ll go home and their challengers will take their place.

“This show is going to disrupt the world of competition television and will revolutionize the format,” Combs said. “It took the right show and network to bring me back in the game. We plan on being the best talent show out there, taking it to that next level and making history again.”

Said Rob Wade, President of Alternative Entertainment and Specials at Fox: “Diddy, DJ Khaled, Meghan and Charlie are giants in the music space,” “They understand what an artist needs to break through – from killer music and style to innovative marketing and social media. This is a show like no other and we can’t wait to get started.”

Combs started his career as a record executive before launching Bad Boy Records and an ensuing recording career. He also has produced for TV and film, including Making the Band 2 and the documentaries Undefeated and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.

DJ Khaled is among the inductry’s most successful record producers. Often called “the Quincy Jones of Hip Hop & R&B,” he has made dozens of chart-topping hit records for the likes of Jay-Z, Kanye West, Drake, Chris Brown and Ludacris.

Grammy winner Trainor broke out with her multiplatinum debut single “All About That Bass” in 2014 and has more than a half-dozen hit singles and two albums and has written hits for Jennifer Lopez, Fifth Harmony and Rascal Flatts. She also executive produces soapy music-themed drama Broken Record, which has a put pilot commitment at ABC.

Walk is President of the Republic Group, and In addition to overseeing and integrating the company’s marketing, promotion and media departments, he actively seeks, signs and develops new talent. He’s driven over 50 Billboard No. 1 hits.