An ASU alumnus was voted off “American Idol” last week, but he said the end of his singing career is far from over.

Scott MacIntyre is known by Idol watchers as the classically trained pianist who was born almost completely blind. MacIntyre, 23, graduated from ASU in 2006 at the age of 19.

He was voted off on Wednesday after singing Survivor’s “The Search is Over” while playing a guitar. Even though the judges were not impressed with his performance, MacIntyre said he stands by it.

“I don’t take what the judges said to heart. I actually stand by my performance this last Tuesday, and if you watch it back, it’s actually a good solid performance,” MacIntyre said in a recorded press conference. “Some of the criticism is undue, but I respect the judges.”

He said the first thing he plans to do when he gets home is start working on a new album.

“Now I actually get to define myself as an artist from scratch,” MacIntyre said. “I actually have a huge catalogue of original music and original songs. I can’t wait to share my songwriting with America.”

MacIntyre said fans can look forward to music along the lines of John Mayer, Gavin DeGraw, Bruce Hornsby, Vanessa Carlton and Mark Schultz. He defines his style of music as “pop/rock singer/songwriter meets adult contemporary.”

“I want to be prepared to give [my fans] more to listen to as soon as I am able, so you can look for a lot more coming from me in the coming month,” MacIntyre said.

One of the reasons MacIntyre said he went on the show was to share his story of becoming a pianist, singer-songwriter and performer despite his visual impairment.

“From the very beginning, I felt like I had a story to share through my music and because of my life story and what I’ve overcome and [how] I’ve pursued music as my main passion … I felt like it would have been a shame not to share that with the world,” MacIntyre said. “‘Idol’ has given me the platform I’ve been hoping for many years.”

Before “American Idol,” MacIntyre experimented with different types of music, performing with his brother in a “punk/pop band” called the Glutes and performing with his family in the MacIntyre Family Singers, in which he sang gospel, a cappella jazz, Broadway and classical music.

“If time allows, you’ll still see me singing with my brother, my sister and my mom,” MacIntyre said.

Christine Statton, MacIntyre’s aunt, said she is sad to see him leave “American Idol.” She said he was “endearing” on the show and “seemed to bring a new element of humanity that brought everyone [on the show] closer together.”

MacIntyre has the talent to have made it further in the competition, Statton said.

“Scott has absolutely amazing musical skills in composing and arranging music,” she said. “He can simply hear any song once and replicate it perfectly on the piano. I wish all those skills had been highlighted more.”

Jennifer Giralo, 19, a journalism freshman, said she liked seeing MacIntyre perform on the show and thinks he has “a unique talent.”

“He stands out because of his range of music, and his notes sound better in every song whereas [other ‘American Idol’ contestants] can’t do every genre of music,” she said.

Julia Strnad, MacIntyre’s cousin, said MacIntyre is not the kind of Idol people think of when voting for “American Idol.”

“He is the kind that every kid could look up to and wish they could be like him some day because he has morals and values that several past contestants couldn’t even dream of having,” Strnad said.

Ashley Cox, 20, MacIntyre’s neighbor, said she was sad to see him get voted off the show, but she thinks the show is “another great chapter in his musical career.”

“He has been diligent his whole life pursuing the gifts that he was blessed with, and he is being rewarded for that,” Cox said. “I think that Scott will continue to make great strides in his musical career, and I think being on “American Idol” has thrown open the doors for his continued future success.”

Reach the reporter at griselda.nevarez@asu.edu.