Jamal Roberts is the new American Idol! On Sunday’s season 23 finale of the singing competition, America voted more than 26 million times to determine if John Foster, Breanna Nix, or Jamal Roberts would win the show.
It’d been a tight race leading into the finale, something that delighted Megan Michaels Wolflick, Idol‘s showrunner and executive producer.
“I just love a dynamic finale that keeps everyone guessing who’s going to win,” she told TVLine. “In the case of other seasons, there might be more of a clear frontrunner, but not this time. It’s anyone’s game, and that to me is a win at the end of a season.”
While there may not have been a clear frontrunner between the contestants, judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood each had opinions about who should take the title.
“My gut has told me Jamal has… [been] a lead all year,” Bryan told People, before reflecting on the other two finalists.
“When you look at every time Breanna gets through, we’re like, ‘She keeps showing up and making it happen. And then John Foster just seems to be gaining momentum,” he said. “Even if it’s something that Jamal’s kind of had the reins of, it could change with a little bit of not focus[ing]… so they gotta be focused all the way to the end.”
Richie, meanwhile, told the outlet that the winner wouldn’t necessarily be the most talented singer.
“It’s an even playing field but it comes down to popularity. How many fans do they have that like them as people?” he said. “Right now, singing cover songs is great but when they have their own hit records, you start building their career. Right now, they’re falling in love with the artist.”
As for Underwood, she’s made her preference for Foster known since she fought for him to make it through his initial audition.
What Happened During the American Idol Finale?
Each contestant delivered two unforgettable solo performances throughout the night.
Foster took on country classics by Toby Keith and John Denver, Nix covered tracks by Katy Nichole and Miley Cyrus, and Roberts wowed with soulful performances of hits by TEEKS and The Temptations.
The final three also teamed up for a group performance, as they sang Queen’s “We Are the Champions.”
On top of that, the three finalists also got to take the stage with some big names. Foster performed “Deeper Than the Holler” alongside Bryan, Nix got the chance to sing “Daddy’s DNA” with Brandon Lake,” and Roberts teamed up with Jelly Roll to sing “Unpretty” and “Liar.”
About halfway through the broadcast, the top two was announced. Foster and Roberts made it through, meaning that Nix was eliminated from the competition.
The Top 2 then sang their new singles, “Tell That Angel I Love Her” for Foster and “Heal” for Roberts.
Then, after all of that, it was Roberts who won most of America’s votes and thus became the show’s season 23 winner.
