A Top 24 contestant quit 'American Idol' after earning Golden Ticket — and his reason makes total sense
Years before Benson Boone was performing on award shows and headlining major music festivals, he was a contestant on 'American Idol.' For the unversed, let us share with you that Boone competed on Season 19 of the ABC singing competition in 2021. However, Boone decided to quit the show about halfway through. Boone was 18 years old when he auditioned for 'American Idol' in front of the esteemed judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie. Before his audition, Boone told the judges that he had been singing just for a year. “I don’t know where it came from. It’s become a really big passion of mine really quickly," Boone confessed at that time.
Boone stunned the judging panel with his power-packed rendition of 'Punchline' by Aidan Martin. Following his performance, Boone received a standing ovation from Bryan and Richie. When Perry was asked to offer her feedback on Boone's performance, she told the budding musician, “I’m gonna tell you something that you may not believe. But if you believe it, it might happen. I see American Idol, and I see you. I see you winning American Idol, if you want to.” On the other hand, Richie called Boone "a natural talent."
Eventually, Boone bagged the Golden Ticket to Hollywood Week, but that's when a twist in the tale came. At that point, Boone decided to leave the show, which left both the judges and the fans surprised. As per TV Insider, Boone clarified his decision in a statement that read, “It was a very hard choice. I didn’t really know who I wanted to be as an artist yet, and I didn’t want to show the world someone I’m not. Social media is the biggest opportunity to get people to know you personally. Hopefully, they will not only like my music, but they’ll understand and like me as a person, so I’m more than just a song to them."
In 2022, Boone appeared on an episode of 'The Zach Bryan Show' and revealed the reason behind quitting 'American Idol.' Then, Boone explained, "The reason I quit American Idol is because I wanted to do music. I don’t want people to be like, ‘Oh, Benson Boone. American Idol blew him up. That’s where he comes from.' No. I want to be Benson Boone because I write smash hits, and they love my music. That’s why I quit. I just didn’t want that label on me.”
Along with this, Boone also stated that his parents played a big part in his decision-making. Boone further elaborated, “I talked to my mom while I was on American Idol. When I told them I wanted to quit, they don’t know anything about music, so they were very confused about why I wanted to quit. Once I explained it, like, ‘I don’t want to have this label posted on me for life, that I’m the American Idol kid. But if I really want to do music, and I really think I can do it, then I’m going to try my best to get as far as I can,’ they just believed in me. I think it was because they believed in me that I really thought I could do it."
