American Idol Crowned A New Winner

Did you see this one coming?
American Idol crowned a new winner last night. After a nationwide vote and nearly 16 million votes counted, the winner was named live on stage in Hollywood. The night started with 3 contestants in the game. Leah Marlene, Noah Thompson and HunterGirl. Leah was eliminated early on in the 3 hour finale. The showdown was on! Either Noah or Hunter would be the American Idol crowned a winner at the end of the night.

Here's how it went down:

Congratulations to 20 year old Kentucky native, Noah Thompson! A singer (and new dad) practically plucked off the construction site to win America's hearts and votes.

Each contestant sang their own "single" before a contestant was crowned. Noah chose a song written by Jared Griffin, Trannie Anderson and Brett Sheroky. It was produced by Nashville favorite, Jimmy Robbins, who has previously worked with Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini. The song debuted at #3 on the Itunes chart, just behind Morgan Wallen! Noah relayed, “I fell in love with ‘One Day Tonight’ as soon as I heard it, just by the sound of the melody. The lyrics are beautiful, the song has so much meaning and it is also so catchy! Can’t believe I get to sing it, to be honest, it blows my mind. I hope so many people love it just like I did when I first heard it!”

Not only can she sing, but her songwriting skills will take her far in Nashville. Hunter Girl performed an original song on the finale last night. Check out her performance of her own,  "Heartbreak Down."

Leah Marlene is truly an artist. Her vibe screams it, quietly. She performed her beautiful original last night. Watch her get emotional on her own, "Flowers."

Country superstar Thomas Rhett shared the stage with pop icon and American Idol judge, Katy Perry for the title track his latest album, "Where We Started." Their chemistry was magic, on stage, and their vocals blended beautifully. 

She may have placed 3rd on American Idol back in 2018, but there's no denying Gabby Barrett is a county superstar. She came back to the stage where it all began, for the 2nd time, last night to perform with her husband Cade Foeher. She sang her new song, and later performed with 2022 contestant Emyrson Flora. The two sang Gabby's #1 hit, "The Good Ones." You may have noticed a little baby bump through Gabby's belted black shirt. She and Cade are expecting their 2nd child, a boy, later this year.