Monday night marked the end of the road for Slater Nalley on American Idol. The 18-year-old singer, who hails from Atlanta but spends summers in Leelanau County, made it all the way to the top five of the singing competition, but was eliminated ahead of next week’s finale.

“What an incredible journey it’s been here on American Idol, and I just want to say thank you to each and every one of you who made this possible,” Nalley said in a video to his fans on Instagram, where he now has 137,000 followers. “This is not the end. I am going to hit the ground running right after this, and we’ve got some really cool stuff coming out to you soon.” Nalley clarified in another video that, with his run on Idol concluded, he is now free to release music.

Nalley gained national attention even before the start of American Idol’s 23rd season, thanks to his audition being used as promo ahead of the show’s March premiere. Prior to his successful run on Idol, though, Nalley was already something of a sensation at Dune Bird Winery near Leland, where he has performed at least 20 times over the last three summers. Speaking to The Ticker in March, Nalley expressed his love for Leelanau County in general, and for Leland and Dune Bird specifically.

“Everyone in Leland is so tight. I couldn’t feel more grateful,” Nalley said at the time. “It’s going to feel great when I get to finally go back up there to my little escape from all of this and live there for a little bit, with joy in my heart that everyone there’s been supporting me since day one.”

Throughout his run on Idol, Nalley performed songs by the likes of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Jason Isbell, and John Prine, and worked with famous guest mentors like James Taylor, Fantasia Barrino, Miranda Lambert, and Lin-Manuel Miranda (pictured). On Monday’s show, which followed a Disney theme, Nalley was eliminated after performing “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story and “Born to Be Wild” from D3: The Mighty Ducks. He and fellow contestant Thunderstorm Artis were voted off the show in a double elimination that marked the final cut before next week’s finale episode.