The journey of an 18-year-old Arkansan competing on ABC's American Idol came to an end Monday night, when the show's contestants were whittled from 50 to 24.
Noah Davis, a nursing student from Royal, had wowed the judges with his soulful voice in the weeks before, but his performance of Lady Gaga's "You and I" fell flat.
"I don't think I realized how big of a dream this was for me until I got here," Davis said in an interview on the show. "I grew up on a farm. I'm from a small town in Arkansas. I never thought I would have made it this far."
Davis, who is taking a break from Arkansas Tech University, hinted on Twitter that his singing career might not be over yet.
"So that was not a great performance. I was very very sick and was honestly just trying to finish the song. I may not be continuing on in this competition but it's definitely not the last you'll see of me! I love all of you so very much," he wrote.
American Idol airs Sunday and Monday nights.