Fox has announced that Kelly Rowland will fill one of the two empty chairs on the X Factor judging panel during its upcoming third season. Rowland and fellow former teen-group star Paulina Rubio are to join Simon Cowell and Demi Lovato on the road today, as the audition process continues in Charleston, S.C.

“I am very excited to be reuniting with Simon Cowell," Rowland said. “It feels great to be able to take this journey here at home in the States!”

News broke just over a month ago that Rowland was in talks with the network. She had been a judge on the music competition's U.K. version, season 8, in 2011. She and Rubio are replacing singer Britney Spears and industry bigwig L.A. Reid, who both left the show last year.

“It’s taken more than a decade but I’m delighted to finally be on a panel with three girls," Cowell said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "Paulina and Kelly both have great taste and massive experience in the music industry and together with Demi, this is going to be a fun panel.”

Auditions without the judges have already taken place in a several of cities, including Los Angeles, where an estimated 10,000 people attended an open-call in March.

Mario Lopez is scheduled to remain as the host; his last co-host, Khloe Kardashian, is out. 

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(Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)