Singer and American Idol judge Katy Perry announced recently that she will be leaving the show at the end of the current season.

According to Luke Bryan, a fellow judge on the program, Perry’s departure was only kind of a surprise to the other judges.

“I had heard whispers that she was thinking about it,” said Bryan in an interview for Taste of Country Nights. “It wasn’t like a huge shock. I think she kinda just got caught up in the moment with Kimmel and maybe announced that she was done.”

Fortunately, it doesn’t appear that the departure is due to bad blood or drama. Perry herself has said that she wants to focus more on her music career and start recording again.

“She knows that no matter what her next endeavors are, that she can pick up the phone and call me and check in and say hey,” Bryan continued. “If she ever needs fishing advice or any random stuff like that.”

Katy Perry and Luke Bryan’s Friendship

Bryan and Perry have become a bit of an unlikely duo through their time on American Idol. Bryan says that they’re good friends. He also mentioned that he admires her as an amazing mother and someone to look up to.

“It’s been a good run with Katy,” said Bryan in the interview. “And she and I have developed a great friendship and to work alongside her. I mean, heck, I was there before her daughter was born. And now her daughter is three or four years old.”

Bryan went on to say that seeing Perry grow as a mother has been a joy to see and that he has had quite a bit of fun getting to know her as a person.

When asked about a future musical collaboration between Perry and himself, Bryan simply said that he’s always felt that “collaborations are song-based before they are artist-based.”

Here’s wishing Perry nothing but the best in her future endeavors.

Photo by Frederick M. Brown

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