It's the end of an era for American Idol as fans know it. During an appearance on Live With Jimmy Kimmel on Monday night, Katy Perry announced that she's leaving the show after season 22 — seven years after she originally signed on to judge the singing competition. Although she'll certainly be missed next season, fans are actually excited about the announcement, knowing what it could mean for what may be coming next in her career …
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Katy dropped the big news while chatting with host Jimmy Kimmel.
After Jimmy asked her how long she thinks she'll stick around as a judge on American Idol, Katy had a surprising answer.
"This fall, in September, I'm going to be doing this huge music festival in Brazil called Rock in Rio … so I think this will probably be my last season for Idol," she said. "It's connected me with the heart of America, but I need to feel that pulse of my own beat."
Katy's fellow judges probably had a feeling this was coming.
Though Katy did joke that her costars, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, would find out that she's leaving when they watch Jimmy's show that night, she admitted that they won't be caught too off guard.
"They know that I have some things planned for this year," she said.
The concert isn't the only reason she decided to do her own thing.
She said that it's going to be a "very very exciting year" for her.
"I've been in the studio for a while so they figured something was up," she said. "I wanna go and see the world and maybe bring new music."
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Fans aren't too disappointed about the news.
Although some people are certainly surprised, others are ready for her to focus on music again and are hoping this means her sixth album is on the way.
"WE WON! Because she’s going to focus on KP6," one person tweeted.
Another person wrote, "Thank goodness!!! Mother needs to get back into the studio."
Now, we just need to know who Katy's replacement will be.
After all, not just anyone can be a judge on American Idol. Not only do they need the musical experience and talent to back up the feedback they give to the contestants, but they also need to have the right chemistry with Lionel and Luke.
It's going to be hard to replace Katy!
