Season 22 of American Idol premiered on February 18. We have been introduced to incredible singers, including Emmy Russell, Abi Carter, Odell Burton Jr., and many more each week.
If those who audition are talented enough, the judges will send them through to the next round of competition, which is appropriately called “Hollywood Week.” Singers need two of the three judges to give them a yes to the next round.
Occasionally, the judges, who consist of Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan, will be split, and one will have to be the tiebreaker, but they often agree on who will go to Hollywood Week.
17-year-old Liliana Tovar Dalton from San Antonio, Texas, was one of the singers that the judges did not have to fight over.
She first sang an original song titled “5 Percent,” which she said was the amount of effort one particular teenage boy gave her. Perry admitted that the song lacked “fundamental structure,” but she still loved it.
All the judges wondered if she had the range necessary to compete in the competition, so they asked her to sing a bit of Adele’s song “Someone Like You.”
They deemed her ready to move on despite her decision not to belt the high notes in the song.
Liliana celebrated her Idol audition on her Instagram page, writing, “I got the golden ticket!!!so grateful for the opportunity to sing my little song in front of such amazing judges!!”
But just two days after American Idol viewers watched her get her golden ticket on television, she revealed she would be walking away from the competition.
Her audition aired on Sunday, March 24th and on Tuesday, March 26th she posted a series of photos on Instagram thanking everyone for following her journey on the show.
“Nonetheless,” she wrote. “I feel I should share that I withdrew from the competition before Hollywood Week. I am eternally grateful for the experience and the advice give to me by artists I so look up to.”
Liliana finished her post by saying she has “lots of exciting news coming up for those who continue to follow [her] journey.”
It seems her Idol journey nearly ended before it really had the chance to begin. We wish her nothing but the best.
Hollywood Week began airing on Sunday, March 31st and continues on Monday, April 1st.