Mariah Carey Confirms American Idol Exit To Focus On New World Tour Plans

31 May 2013, 10:10

The 'Beautiful' singer will not be back on the FOX TV show's next season in order to focus on her new music.

Mariah Carey has confirmed her exit from American Idol after just one season on the show.

The 'Hero' singer announced yesterday (30th May) that her main focus for 2013 will now be the launch of a brand new world tour, her first in four years.

Mariah's new single 'Beautiful' featuring US singer-songwriter Miguel has been a huge chart hit in recent weeks, which is believed to have contributed to her decision to exit the FOX talent show.

"W/ global success of '#Beautiful' (#1 in 30+ countries so far) @MariahCarey confirms world tour & says goodbye 2 Idol," a tweet from Mariah's PR company reads, which was later retweeted by the 'My All' singer.

Check out a picture of the 2012 American Idol panel together last year below (Credit: Getty):

The producers of American Idol have since issued a statement thanking Mariah for her work on the show over the past year, after she joined Idol in 2012 as part of a revamped judging panel line-up including Nicki Minaj, Keith Urban and mainstay Randy Jackson.

"Mariah Carey is a true global icon, one of the most accomplished artists on the planet, and we feel extremely fortunate that she was able to bring her wisdom and experience to the American Idol contestants this season," US network FOX and the American Idol producers said in a statement. "We know she will remain an inspiration to Idol hopefuls for many season to come."

The past month has seen both Randy Jackson and Nicki Minaj both announce their exits from the show, while Keith Urban has yet to confirm his plans