For the fifth nail-biting year in a row, Canada will spend the summer at the polls electing this year’s Canadian Idol.

The 10-city cross-country search for the next major singing sensation gets underway Feb. 3 in Vancouver, wrapping up in Toronto in mid-April. Throughout this musical journey, thousands of talented singers will belt their hearts out in their quest for fame -- and in a new twist this year, some will accompany themselves on instruments.

The country's most popular show for half of a decade, “Canadian Idol” was watched by about 2 million people last year.

Ben Mulroney, who has hosted the series since it began in 2003, is back on board this year. And love them or hate them, the four judges -- staples in the Canadian music industry -- are back as well.

Zack Werner, Sass Jordan, Jake Gold and Farley Flex will be heating things up on TV screens across the country, encouraging Canada’s best while bluntly telling it like it is to competitors who may be less talented than they realize.

“Canadian Idol” is based on FremantleMedia and 19TV's international ‘Idol’ format and has established itself as a cornerstone of Canadian pop culture.