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Katy Perry<\/a> has said goodbye to <\/span>American Idol<\/em><\/a>\u2026 for now. The 39-year-old pop star ended her seven-year reign on the hit music competition show on Sunday, saying her goodbyes in a tear-filled episode.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Perry caught up with ET’s Denny Directo on the red carpet after the live show where <\/span>Abi Carter was crowned the season 22 winner<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “I’m a little tired because I’ve been crying all night, but I just so proud, so happy,” Perry told ET. “It feels like a cherry on top that Abi got to win just because it’s been a while since, you know, a while since a female won.”<\/span><\/p>\n Noting that Abi was her “pick from the beginning,” Perry said that the win was “my present from the universe.”<\/span><\/p>\n As for the reaction to her own exit, Perry joked, “Well, everybody’s sad. I’m like, it’s not like I’m dying! I’m just going to see you on tour.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The musician is leaving the show to focus on her music, specifically the teased <\/span>KP6<\/span><\/em>. However, she’s not opposed to returning to the hit show.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “Keep that seat hot. I mean, who knows,” she teased. “I loved everything I got to experience and learn.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Perry said the<\/span> Idol <\/span><\/em>experience left her feeling “really close to my country.”<\/span><\/p>\n “I believe in humanity. I believe in the American Dream,” she added. “I think this show, it’s like one of the last standing examples of a united front, American Dream, people coming from all places, all different beliefs, coming together.”<\/span><\/p>\n One of the hardest parts for Perry will be saying goodbye to her fellow judges <\/span>Lionel Richie<\/a> and <\/span>Luke Bryan<\/a>. Perry admitted that Richie simply telling her that he’d miss her was the first thing to set her off.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “That’s the first time I lost it,” she said. “But then I ordered pizza during the show and that helped.”<\/span><\/p>\n Perry also found a way to honor her time on the show through fashion, surprising the audience and viewers with an epic performance that included lifting her into the air and showcasing a personalized skirt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “I thought a good way to honor my time here would be to put the top 24 of each season on my skirt so they were all there,” she shared. “It was a fun surprise because I was raising up and you just saw more and more contestants.”<\/span><\/p>\n As for her hopes on who will replace her on the judges’ panel, Perry didn’t have a specific name in mind, but she did have some thoughts on the qualities the person should possess.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “I hope it’s someone fearless. I hope it’s someone that doesn’t mince their words, maybe someone a little polarizing just like myself,” Perry said. “There’s a lot of people that’s like, ‘She’s awful! She should go!’ And there’s a lot of people that are like, ‘She speaks her mind! She’s authentic!’ Whatever, you can’t win ’em all. I think it’s actually better not to win ’em all because that means you actually have a point of view.”<\/span><\/p>\n And though she’s known for speaking her mind, Perry wasn’t spilling the beans on the highly anticipated <\/span>KP6 <\/span><\/em>or the potential album’s first single.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “You’ll have to see. You’ll have to wait and see!” she quipped.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And while there was plenty of celebrating and a few cocktails, Perry shared that she had very normal post-show plans.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “At the end of the night I’m gonna go home and pack my daughter’s lunch,” she said of 3-year-old Daisy Dove, whom she shares with <\/span>Orlando Bloom<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n