On Monday, Fox confirmed season 15 of American Idol would be its last. Ryan Seacrest, Jennifer Lopez, Hary Connick Jr, and Keith Urban will all return to crown the final winner. But, last night rock singer Nick Fradiani won the penultimate Idol title.
Fradiani was the dark horse of the competition. He was the oldest contestant at 29, during a season that centered around youth. Just take a look at sixteen year old Daniel Seavy who made it all the way through to the Top 9, despite less than stellar performances. Fradiani struggled to find a way to take the lead as a solo performer due to this band past. But, in the weeks leading up to the competition, Fradiani began to “own his hotness,” as Jennifer Lopez advised. This change in confidence led him to beat soulful singer Clark Beckham, 22, for the big prize, a recording contract with season mentor Scott Borchetta’s label, Big Machine.
Fradiani tried to perform his single “Beautiful Life” after Seacrest announced his win, but emotions took over midway through. Watch below.