Grimes will join will.i.am and Alanis Morissette to judge “avatar singing competition” on Fox

When I first heard Grimes, she was a fiercely underground artist making waves in Montreal. Now, of course, she still makes essential tunes (her 2020 project Miss Anthropocene was one of our favorites of the year) while cutting a unique and vastly influential figure. Still, her growing profile could not have prepared me for the news today: later this year, Grimes will co-judge an “avatar singing competition” called Alter Ego alongside will.i.am, Alanis Morissette, Nick Lachey, and Rosci Diaz.

The show will air this fall on Fox, as Pitchfork points out. Each contestant on the show will reportedly be represented by their "dream avatars" created using motion capture technology. I can see why this concept would appeal to Grimes — she played a cyborg pop star called Lizzy Wizzy in last year's game Cyberpunk 2077 — but I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that she's going to be a reality TV judge. She'll probably be great, but damn, I'm old. Cast photo is below!