Narberth’s Louis Knight didn’t make it to the final five of ABC’s American Idol on Sunday, losing an opportunity to compete for the Season 18 title. But in an Instagram post that went up shortly after his elimination, he called the night, which ended in a surprise win for the Harlem subway singer Just Sam, a “huge victory” for himself, “no matter what.”

Before American Idol, wrote the 19-year-old Lower Merion High grad, “I have to say, a part of me was a bit lost.” Being on the show “has forced me to reckon with certain things in my life and grow.”

In an interview last month, Knight described his initial reaction when he was approached by American Idol about auditioning.

“Honestly, at first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to,” Knight said. “Because I’ve been working so hard on trying to be a singer-songwriter, and I wasn’t sure … if I’d be able to showcase my songwriting” on the singing competition.