Wyatt Pike, the American Idol finalist who quit before this season’s live shows, has released an original song, “Friday Nights.”
“As promised, here’s a video of my tune ‘Friday Nights’,” he captioned an Instagram post. “I had fun filming this for you yesterday, hope you enjoy! ‘Friday Nights’ is available on all streaming platforms!”
At the top of an episode last week, Idol host Ryan Seacrest told viewers “finalist Wyatt Pike will not be competing in the competition. He had to drop out — but we wish him the very best.”
Two days later, Pike shared on Instagram: “I had to leave the @AmericanIdol competition for personal reasons but am so thankful I get to play music for the rest of my life. Fellow contestants — miss you all, good luck!”
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Pike auditioned for Idol last fall with “Best For You,” a song he wrote for his sister Hazel, who told the show her big brother helped her deal with “severe mental health issues.” Pike also shared that he struggled “with some anxiety” in high school.
On the show, Pike covered George Ezra’s “Blame It On Me,” “Rubberband” by Canada’s Tate McRae, Ben Rector’s “Brand New” and Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody.”
Pike, a Top 12 competitor, was consistently praised by judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan. On the pre-taped episode that aired Sunday, Bryan told Pike: “I remember one of the coolest things ever happened to me is the day I realized that I get to do music forever, under any circumstance. I’m telling you, Wyatt, you are going to be able to do music for the rest of your life.”
Check out “Friday Nights” below: