Current:Home > ScamsIam Tongi Wins American Idol Season 21 -AssetScope
Iam Tongi Wins American Idol Season 21
View
Date:2025-04-19 10:56:50
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! (77)
Related
- 'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
- Why is Haason Reddick holding out on the New York Jets, and how much is it costing him?
- Bruce Springsteen talks 'Road Diary' and being a band boss: 'You're not alone'
- 2 charged in plot to solicit attacks on minorities, officials and infrastructure on Telegram
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Tennessee, Texas reshape top five of college football's NCAA Re-Rank 1-134 after big wins
- Oregon police charge a neighbor of a nurse reported missing with murder
- The Latest: Harris and Trump are prepping for the debate but their strategies are vastly different
- This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
- Roblox set to launch paid videogames on its virtual platform
Ranking
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- Police say a Russian ‘spy whale’ in Norway wasn’t shot to death
- Prince accused of physical, emotional abuse in unreleased documentary, report says
- YouTube removes right-wing media company's channels after indictment alleges Russian funding
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- Horoscopes Today, September 9, 2024
- Patti Scialfa, Springsteen’s wife & bandmate, reveals cancer diagnosis
- Two workers die after being trapped inside a South Dakota farm silo
Recommendation
Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
New search opens for plane carrying 3 that crashed in Michigan’s Lake Superior in 1968
NFL Week 2 injury report: Puka Nacua, Jordan Love top the list after Week 1
A former NYC school food chief is sentenced to 2 years in a tainted chicken bribery case
The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
New Red Lobster CEO dined as a customer before taking over: Reports
Olympian Abbey Weitzeil Answers Swimming Beauty Questions You’ve Wondered About & Shares $6 Must-Haves
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Walk the Plank