Katy Perry has major wardrobe malfunction on American Idol

American Idol was at risk of suddenly becoming a much more explicit show than expected when Katy Perry suffered an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction.

Perry appeared alongside her fellow judges on Monday's episode (April 15) of American Idol, in which viewers were able to cast their votes and determine which of the 20 remaining contestants should make it into the Top 14.

While the 10 singers with the most votes made it straight through, the remaining 10 were place in the 'danger zone' and had to perform once again to try and save themselves.

It was after singer Roman Collins took to the stage to sing 'It's A Man's Man's Man's World' that Perry announced she was having some wardrobe issues, saying: "That song broke my top off."

The contestants were fighting for their places in the Top 14. (Instagram/@katyperry)

The pop star had been wearing a pointy, silver bandeau-style top, which appeared to be tied at the back with a thin strap.

Just hours before American Idol aired, Perry shared a series of photos of herself posing in the unusual top on Instagram.

"if you see a shark you’re left brained, if you see #idol tonight you’re my bestie," she wrote alongside the photos, which had clearly been taken before Perry knew what kind of disaster would unfold on the show. You can watch that here:

It's unclear exactly how her top broke broke, but Perry made clear that she could be at risk of flashing all of America as she sank beneath the desk, saying: "This is a family show."

The judge was seen holding up the proceedings in a video she shared to Instagram afterwards, which showed a team of people attempting to secure her top on her body.

"I need my top to stay on," Perry told the camera while holding a pair of pliers. "If it's not fixed, this show is going to get a lot more than it wanted."

Perry needed to bring in reinforcements to help. (Instagram/@katyperry)

After fellow judge Lionel Richie joked that Perry's wardrobe malfunction would result in some impressive ratings for the show, the singer was forced to try and keep things child-friendly by using a cushion to cover her chest.

Meanwhile, Luke Bryan told Collins: "You have the ability to blow the roof off of a place," while Perry added: "Or a top!"

Perry shared the video of her unfortunate situation on Instagram with the simple caption 'my top broke', leaving viewers in hysterics over the incident.

"You’re hilarious!," one viewer wrote, as another commented: "I love you you’re soooo iconic."

Hopefully Perry will manage to avoid any similar mishaps in the future!