A second American Idol contestant has quit the competition early this season. Kaya Stewart, daughter of famed musician David Stewart, announced her abrupt exit during the duet challenge in Hollywood Week.
In a montage, Stewart was shown lazing around while her duet partner, Fire Wilmore, was rehearsing their cover of “Whataya Want From Me?” by Adam Lambert. She later told Wilmore and their voice coach that she is sick and hadn’t been practicing the arrangement.
The two entered the stage and Stewart informed the judges that she had “a little announcement to make.” The singer proceeded to tell Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, who were all seated at the judging table, “I got sick at the beginning of Hollywood Week and I have been trying to push myself and keep going.”
She continued, “During this performance, I got to work with Wilmore and it was such a great experience. She’s so talented and so incredible and we bonded so much but I realized I wasn’t able to give 100 percent.”
Dropping the big reveal, Stewart said, “So, I’ve decided to not perform, but Wilmore is going to perform. I’m really grateful that I got to be here and thank you guys but I’m not going to be performing.”
The “I Kissed A Girl” singer asked Stewart to clarify her decision to, which she replied, “Me not performing today means I’m no longer going to be in the competition.” The former contestant then walked off the stage in tears.
Perry told the others, “She tried.”
Alone on the stage, Wilmore got emotional and told Perry that the experience had been “really stressful.” The judges asked the other contestants if they wanted to duet with Fire, and Jayna Elise — who previously performed “I’m Still Standing” by Elton John and “Who Wants to Live Forever” by Queen in the competition — volunteered on the spot.
However, as Elise didn’t know the proper arrangement, the performance didn’t go as planned and Wilmore struggled on stage. She ended up breaking down into tears, causing the judges to tear up as well.
Perry comforted the young performer, telling her, “I’m proud of you. You’re growing little by little. You can’t control a lot but you can control yourself.”
Wilmore proceeded to the next round.
The contestant had a rocky introduction to the reality show. When she first auditioned on the March 19 episode in New Orleans, she was met with rejection from the judges. But, Perry invited her back to audition again in Nashville and she wowed them with her cover of “Dancing in the Dark” by Adele.
Stewart isn’t the first contestant to make an early departure from the show during Hollywood Week. On Sunday (April 2), Sara Beth Liebe left early to return home to her children after Perry made an inappropriate joke about her being a young mother.
American Idol airs on Sunday nights at 8/7c on ABC. Watch Kaya Stewart’s abrupt exit in the video above.