Last night the winner of American Idol’s 13th season was crowned following the two-hour spectacle finale. Would it be Jena Irene, the high school senior or Caleb Jackson, the guy running on the ‘third times the try’ mantra?
Jackson came out strong in all his confetti glory as Ryan Seacrest announced him the winner. It was a true dream come true moment as Jackson had auditioned for seasons 10 and 11, Billboard reports, and made it a few rounds but never came close.
The finale was a star filled affair as both finalists performed with huge artists: Caleb Jackson with Kiss (performing “Love Gun” / ”Shout It out Loud”) and Jena Irene with Paramore (performing “Decode” / “Ain’t It Fun”). All of the judges even came together to perform Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” and then Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way”.
Jackson barely made it through his winning song and new single, “As Long As You Love Me” as he cried and was enveloped with hugs from his fellow contestants. For Irene, everything will be all right for her as she still has more important things on her brain. The WashingtonPost reports that the runner-up has prom soon and plans on taking Jackson as her date.