The third time's the charm for Candice Glover on "American Idol."
The booming 23-year-old R&B vocalist from St. Helena Island, S.C.,
won the Fox singing competition after auditioning a trio of times and
making it to the finals this year. Glover looked stunned when "Idol"
host Ryan Seacrest announced she bested soulful 22-year-old country
singer Kree Harrison from Woodville, Texas.
"Three times," exclaimed a weepy Glover under a wave of confetti.
After her crowning, an emotional Glover sobbed her way through her new single "I Am Beautiful."
Glover's win marks the first time a female and a nonwhite singer has
won the competition since Jordin Sparks dominated the sixth season in
2007. The previous five winners — Phillip Phillips, Scotty McCreery,
Lee DeWyze, Kris Allen and David Cook — were all young Caucasian guitar
players, known to "Idol" fans as WGWGs, or white guys with guitars.
The lack of a female champion for the past five years was mocked in a
finale bit featuring the female finalists, in cahoots with Sparks,
jokingly sabotaging this season's five male contestants.
"The good news is 'Idol' leftovers have been doing really well on 'The Voice,'" Sparks teased.
Besides the coronation of Glover, Thursday's finale also served as a
farewell for Randy Jackson, the show's last remaining original judge
who announced last week that he's leaving "Idol" to focus on his record
label and other business opportunities. Jackson served as a judge on
all 12 seasons of "Idol." He first appeared on the panel alongside
Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul when the competition debuted in 2002,
becoming famous for his easygoing "yo, dawg" rapport with contestants.
"I love everybody that walked on this show," Jackson said. He added,
"Hopefully, I touched their lives a little bit. They certainly touched
mine."
Grammy- and Oscar-winning former "Idol" finalist Jennifer Hudson
returned for Thursday's finale to duet with Glover on Natalie Cole's
"Inseparable."
Hudson was among the guest stars who helped fill out the two-hour
finale show, including Psy, Frankie Valli, Emeli Sande, Jessie J,
Aretha Franklin and former "Idol" judge Jennifer Lopez. Current "Idol"
judges Keith Urban and Mariah Carey — along with Jackson on bass — also
performed.
Jackson previously declared Wednesday's three-song showdown a dead heat
between Harrison and Glover, who have both once been among the show's
low vote-getters during the finals.
Last year's finale between Phillips and budding pop diva Jessica
Sanchez brought in 132 million votes. The vote totals for Thursday's
finale weren't shared with viewers
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