Current:Home > reviewsIam Tongi Wins American Idol Season 21 -GrowthSphere Strategies
Iam Tongi Wins American Idol Season 21
View
Date:2025-04-15 23:45:24
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! (7)
Related
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- Sinaloa drug kingpin sentenced to 28 years for trafficking narcotics to Alaska
- Arlington cemetery controversy shines spotlight on Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s sudden embrace of Trump
- Youth football safety debate is rekindled by the same-day deaths of 2 young players
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- Chocolate’s future could hinge on success of growing cocoa not just in the tropics, but in the lab
- One man dead, others burned after neighborhood campfire explodes
- Abilene Christian University football team involved in Texas bus crash, leaves 4 injured
- Average rate on 30
- Defending champion Coco Gauff loses in the U.S. Open’s fourth round to Emma Navarro
Ranking
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Two dead and three injured after man drives his car through restaurant patio in Minnesota
- California lawmakers seek more time to consider energy proposals backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom
- Space tourist calls Blue Origin launch 'an incredible experience': Watch the liftoff
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- Murder on Music Row: Shots in the heart of country music disrupt the Nashville night
- Clay Matthews jokes about why Aaron Rodgers wasn't at his Packers Hall of Fame induction
- Yellow lights are inconsistent and chaotic. Here's why.
Recommendation
At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
Watch as shooting star burns brightly, awes driver as it arcs across Tennessee sky
Mega Millions winning numbers for August 30 drawing: Did anyone win $627 million jackpot?
Man arrested after crashing into Abilene Christian football bus after Texas Tech game
Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
How Swimmer Ali Truwit Got Ready for the 2024 Paralympics a Year After Losing Her Leg in a Shark Attack
Summer camp lets kids be kids as vilifying immigration debate roils at home
Rapper Fatman Scoop dies at 53 after collapsing on stage