After a season full of great performances, some not so great performances, fighting judges, crazy nicknames courtesy of Nicki Minaj, tears, and just about everything else, it was finally time to crown the next American Idol. It was a busy night full of amazing performances and surprise appearances from some big names that all led to either Candice Glover or Kree Harrison being named the winner. So who took home the crown? Keep reading to find out.
Before we get to the winner, below are the night’s incredible performances that ended the season with a bang:
The top 10, matching in all white, perform “Glad You Came” to start the night off.
The Band Perry then sing “Done” along with Tennessee native Janelle Arthur, who ended up fifth in the competition.
The top five guys then take the stage to perform, which leads to Frankie Valli joining them to perform several of his songs.
Mariah Carey then proceeds to perform several of her most famous songs with fellow judge Randy Jackson playing bass.
Amber Holcomb, who ended up fourth, then sings “Next to Me” along with Emeli Sande.
After Candice and Kree present their hometown mentors with new Ford Fiestas, Psy sings his new hit “Gentleman.”
Judge Keith Urban then hits the stage to perform his new single “Little Bit of Everything.”
Candice next begins to perform “Inseparable” and Jennifer Hudson then joins her on the stage, which obviously makes for a powerful performance.
Top three finalist Angie Miller then sings “Titanium” in a duet with Adam Lambert. Her personal idol Jessie J then joins her on stage and they perform “Domino.”
Kree Harrison then takes the stage to collaborate on “Where the Black Top Ends” with judges Urban and Jackson as well as Travis Barker on the drums.
After a montage tribute dedicated to Randy Jackson, who is leaving the show after being a judge for 12 seasons, Aretha Franklin makes an appearance via satellite from New York. The top five girls then hit the stage to perform her songs while she sings with them through the screen.
Former Idoljudge Jennifer Lopez then performs “Live It Up” alongside Pitbull.
Candice and Kree then have one final performance of “One Less Bell to Answer” to finish off the show and the season before the winner is revealed.
The moment everyone was waiting for then finally arrives and Ryan Seacrest announces that the winner of Season 12 of American Idol is … Candice Glover!
After being announced the winner, tears begin to flow from everyone and all Glover can mutter is “Oh, my God. Three years!” (Referencing the number of times she had tried out for the show.) She then performs her single “I Am Beautiful” and closes out the season.
Considering Candice was arguably the most consistent contestant throughout the entire season, her win is well deserved. Do you agree? What did you think of season 12? Let us know in the comments below!