This ‘American Idol’ contestant abruptly quit the show — but now his song’s on Billboard and everyone’s lip

"I think I made the right decision," said an 'American Idol' contestant who dropped out from the competition

PUBLISHED 4 HOURS AGO

(L-R) Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez, Kelly Clarkson and judge Harry Connick Jr. onstage at 'American Idol' Season 15 in Hollywood, California. (Cover image Source: FOX Image Collection via Getty Images | Ray Mickshaw)

In recent memory, Benson Boone stands out as one of the most successful 'American Idol' dropouts. However, there's another contestant who, despite great potential, decided to exit from the competition and made a name for himself. With a golden ticket in hand, this singer was touted as the next big thing in the singing competition, but surprisingly, he dropped out. His decision at the time was seen as a risky one, but luckily that gamble paid off, as his one viral song not only earned him much-needed fame but also a rendition by Kelly Clarkson.

Max McNown performs on stage during Lollapalooza at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois (Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Michael Hickey)

The singer in discussion is Max McNown, who is known for his 2023 hit single 'A Lot More Free.' McNown has released two albums and performed at the UK's C2C Festival. He gained viral success on TikTok and currently has 1.7 million Instagram followers. McNown briefly competed on 'American Idol,' auditioning in Casamigos, California, before deciding to leave the show after his song 'A Lot More Free' gained viral attention. He recalled, "I went to Casamigos, California, and I auditioned in front of Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie, and I got the Golden Ticket, and I was like super-excited. I was on top of the world," as per Movin 92.5.

But as his song started to get major attention, McNown faced a tough choice. "I had to make the really difficult decision to kind of move on from American Idol instead of following it to the end just because I felt like I had started to build this career." The moment that confirmed he'd made the right call came when Clarkson covered 'A Lot More Free' on her talk show during her Kellyoke segment. "When Kelly Clarkson chose to cover my song, it marked the culmination of my entire journey on 'American Idol,'" he expressed, while adding, "And I was like, 'Okay, I think I made the right decision.'"

McNown also talked about his 'American Idol' experience, saying, "It was super fun. I stay in contact with so many people from that show, and I made a lot of really meaningful connections." However, he explained why he chose not to continue, saying, "It ended up just not really being for me. I got the golden ticket, I was super excited, but it just kind of... I felt I had already started to blaze the trail, and I didn't want that trail to be labelled an 'American Idol kid'," per Smooth Radio. Reportedly, McNown was initially hesitant to release his vulnerable country-folk love song, 'Better Me For You (Brown Eyes),' about his girlfriend of nearly two years.

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However, the track quickly resonated with fans, becoming his first entry on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart and the Billboard Hot 100. Commenting on its success, McNown said, "I wasn't expecting a song that is so specifically about my girlfriend to do so well. It gives me a lot of encouragement to keep writing personal songs about my life," according to Billboard. He wrote the song in May 2024 with Trent Dabbs, Ava Suppelsa, and Jamie Kenney, recalling, "Ava asked me more about my girlfriend, like, 'What do you love about her?' It’s about wanting to be a better person, because you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody."