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Benson Boone was one of the contestants of American Idol season 19 and was hailed by judge Katy Perry to win the competition. The 22-year-old singing prodigy from Monroe, Washington first caught the eye when he went viral on TikTok. He was subsequently invited to participate in American Idol season 19 in 2021.
Performing the piano cover of Aiden Martin's 2017 single Punchline, Boone won over all the judges in the panel, especially Katy Perry. The Fireworks hitmaker remarked that all judges were "gonna swoon over Benson Boone." Katy Perry doubled down on her praise, predicting:
"I'm gonna tell you something that you may not believe. But if you believe it, it might happen…I see you winning 'American Idol' if you want to."
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A starstruck Benson Boone called it the best compliment he had ever gotten. However, he didn't stick around to prove Katy Perry right, quitting the show after advancing to the Top 24.
Benson Boone later explained that he didn't want to be tagged as the product of American Idol. The 22-year-old wanted to create an identity for himself because of his talents as an artist and not because of his 'American Idol' label.
"I just didn’t want that label on me," - Why Benson Boone Walked Away from American Idol Despite Katy Perry's Praise
Benson Boone opened up about his decision to quit American Idol season 19 despite being lauded by Katy Perry in an appearance on the Zach Sang Show in May 2024. The Beautiful Things singer talked about building an identity beyond American Idol. explaining:
“The reason I quit American Idol is because I wanted to do music. I decided that 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.”
The 22-year-old attributed his decision to his risk-taking attitude. Boone revealed that he had always been a 'big risk taker' and enjoyed the feeling of not knowing the outcome of a decision. He further credited his parents for helping him make the paradigm-shifting decision and raved about their support in the interview.
“I really have great parents. I think they played a big part in this,” he said. Continuing, Benson added “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."
The Cry hitmaker explained that his parents were supportive once he explained his decision not to let the 'American Idol kid' tag steer his career.
"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,” Boone continued. “I think it was because they believed in me that I really thought I could do it.”
Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds found Boone soon after leaving American Idol, and he was signed to Night Street Records. Boone has released many singles since then, including the chart-topping Beautiful Things.
The song topped the charts in the United Kingdom and peaked within the top five of Billboard Hot 100. Benson Boone's debut album, Fireworks & Rollerblades was released on April 5, 2024.
