And then there were three! On Thursday, May 3, Season 12 American Idol contestants Angie Miller, Candice Glover, Kree Harrison and Amber Holcomb faced another elimination round and, sadly, it was Holcomb who was sent home.
The 19-year-old singer from Houston, Texas, bid an emotional farewell to the show after her Wednesday performances of Pink‘s “Just Give Me a Reason” and Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart‘s “My Funny Valentine” weren’t strong enough to save her a spot in the final three.
Holcomb broke down in tears after her elimination, and continued to get emotional while speaking to reporters after the show. “That sucks knowing you’re not singing for your save and you still have to sing,” she told Us Weekly of trying to sing her goodbye song, but not being able to hold back the tears. “The ‘tribute’ video. That gets me every [time] and seeing me was like, oh crap,” she explained, getting emotional again. “Sorry.”
But the judges reassured her that this was not the end of her singing career. “All the judges were like, ‘It’s just the beginning,'” Holcomb recalled of their talk on stage. “‘It’s just the beginning.'”
Judge Nicki Minaj, especially, offered Holcomb a lot of support. “She’s my cheerleader,” she said of the rapper. “Even last week she was telling me, ‘If you go home, you’re going to have people beating down your door. You have nothing to worry about.'”
And Holcomb feels proud of herself for what she accomplished during the competition. “I wouldn’t change anything that I’ve done,” she said. “I feel like everything was me.”
Holcomb also joked that she has big plans before she heads off on tour with the Season 12 top 10 contestants this summer.
“Sleep and drive my car to the mall,” she said with a laugh. “I deserve some shopping.”
