Things may not always be hearts and flowers on the set of 'American Idol,' but new judge Keith Urban isn't going to let that phase him. In an appearance on 'Ellen' on Monday (Jan. 14), the country star laughed off reports of tension on the show, saying it's not that different from joining a band.

"We're putting the fun in dysfunction," Urban said when asked about the relationships between the judges. "It feels like I've joined this band in some ways. You know, we've got two girl singers, and there's two guys in the band ... it just feels like a band to me."

The new season had scarcely begun filming when a clip of a profanity-laced confrontation between Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey went viral, but Urban dismissed the notion of lingering tension from the incident, in which he was caught literally in the middle of the two women. "If you saw the places I grew up playing in Australia, you'd see that's nothing," he said with a laugh. "Nothing at all."

Urban added that it's all just a matter of the judges adjusting to one another. "You've got four genuinely passionate people and we get thrown on the dance floor and said, 'Alright, dance together, go.' A few toes get stepped on figuring out the groove," he acknowledged. "But by the time we got to Hollywood week, we got a really good flow going."

The Season 12 of 'American Idol' premieres Wednesday, Jan. 16 at 8PM ET on Fox.

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