American Idol Season 14 recently concluded its finale episode and a new title holder has been crowned. The two Idol hopefuls who battled it out for the ultimate prize were Clark Beckham and Nick Fradiani. While both men exhibited remarkable talent and charisma in their performances throughout the show, only one contestant could emerge as this season's grand winner. Garnering the majority of the country's votes, the new American Idol is Nick Fradiani.
The announcement of his name as the new Idol champion left Fradiani speechless onstage, according to New Jersey News. "I can't even think right now," said the 29-year-old who looked astounded by his successful stint in the singing competition. "This is the best day of my life," Fradiani added.
A lot of fans and followers of American Idol Season 14 were quite surprised with this outcome. Throughout the competition, Fradiani was never perceived as a contender - at least not one who could actually compete against Beckham and Jax Cole. The newly crowned winner was actually considered an underdog who eventually peaked at the right time. Many viewers compared his victory to that of Kris Allen, who was also an unexpected Idol champion and won over the highly acclaimed Adam Lambert.
The finale episode included performances from Fall Out Boy, Chris Brown, Pitbull, and Jamie Foxx, according to a blow-by-blow account in Heavy.com. The other Idol contestants also took the stage including Joey Cook and Quentin Alexander. Judge Keith Urban rocked out as well, with wife Nicole Kidman reported to be cheering him on. Former American Idol judge, Steven Tyler, also went onstage and was later joined by Top 3 contestant, Cole.
In an earlier interview with Billboard during the BMI Pop Awards on May 12, Tuesday, Andy Grammer shared that the now-American Idol winner is his bet. "Nicki Fradiani," the Honey I'm Good artist said, referring to his pick on the then unknown outcome of American Idol Season 14. "I think he's going to win, and hopefully I can help him do that," added Grammer, who also performed in the show's finale with none other than the grand champion, Fradiani, himself.
Meanwhile, Grammer also commented on the decision of the American Idol team to still give the show a final season despite the announcement of its declining ratings and consequent pronouncement to end the long running series. "I'm glad they're going to give it another season," he revealed. "Give it a grand farewell instead of just petering out," Grammer shared.
