Current:Home > FinanceIam Tongi Wins American Idol Season 21 -FinanceCore
Iam Tongi Wins American Idol Season 21
View
Date:2025-04-27 17:52:39
Dim the lights, we have a new American Idol winner.
Following a three-hour season finale on May 21, host Ryan Seacrest announced Iam Tongi as the champion of the competition series, beating out Megan Danielle, as well as Colin Stough, who was eliminated earlier in the night.
(Megan, Colin and Iam were previously announced as the final three contestants during May 14's "Disney Night" episode.)
Prior to crowning the new winner, Megan, Colin and Iam all took the stage one last time to perform.
The season finale also included star-studded performances from judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, along with former American Idol stars Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard.
Ellie Goulding, James Blunt, Jazmine Sullivan, Jelly Roll, Kevin Cronin from REO Speedwagon, Kylie Minogue, Lainey Wilson, Lauren Daigle, Pitbull and TLC also took the stage during the finale, along with former Idol judge Keith Urban, who also mentored the three finalists.
In late April, Lionel couldn't help but gush over the talented artists he met this season.
"The top 12 are ridiculous, the top 20 was ridiculous," he told E! News. "Every one of them can be a number one artists, without a doubt."
Why? For the Grammy winner, it's all about style. "Everyone has a different twist on their talent," he said. "So at this point, I'm so happy we're not voting as the judges." (Like in past seasons, the public took over voting halfway through the competition.)
"Their voices, their attitude...look how much they've grown," he said of this season's contestants. "From those little shy kids you saw at the auditions to now...oh!"
The May 21 finale came just days after it was announced that Idol had been renewed for another season, which will be its seventh on ABC and 22 season overall. (The series previously aired on Fox before moving to ABC in 2017.)
Get the drama behind the scenes. Sign up for TV Scoop!veryGood! (266)
Related
- New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
- Puerto Rico declares flu epidemic with 42 deaths, over 900 hospitalizations
- Man sentenced to life for fatally shooting 2 Dallas hospital workers after his girlfriend gave birth
- This week on Sunday Morning (November 12)
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Conservative Muslims protest Coldplay’s planned concert in Indonesia over the band’s LGBTQ+ support
- FBI Director Christopher Wray and government's landlord in dustup over new FBI headquarters
- AP Week in Pictures: Global | Nov. 3 - Nov. 9, 2023
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- How Ryan Reynolds Supported Wrexham Player Anthony Forde's Wife Laura Amid Her Brain Tumor Battle
Ranking
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- AP Week in Pictures: North America
- Climate change isn't a top motivator in elections. But it could impact key races
- 131 World War II vets die each day, on average; here is how their stories are being preserved.
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Demonstrators brawl outside LA’s Museum of Tolerance after screening of Hamas attack video
- California authorities seek video, urge patience in investigation into death of Jewish demonstrator
- The Best Gifts For The Organized & Those Who Desperately Want to Be
Recommendation
McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
Chicago White Sox announcer Jason Benetti moving to Detroit for TV play-by-play
California man who’s spent 25 years in prison for murder he didn’t commit has conviction overturned
Shohei Ohtani helping donate 60,000 baseball gloves to Japanese schools
'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
Black riverboat co-captain faces assault complaint filed by white boater in Alabama dock brawl
Why Whitney Port Is in a Better Place Amid Health Struggles
Spain’s acting prime minister signs deal that secures him the parliamentary support to be reelected