Ladies and gentlemen, meet the next American Idol.
On Monday night, Maddie Poppe was crowned this season's winner of the reality singing competition, which ABC revived in March with star judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.
Hailing from Clarksville, Iowa, the 20-year-old singer-songwriter has been a fan favorite since the start of the season, wowing with folk-pop renditions of classic songs by The Beach Boys, Sinead O'Connor and The Bangles. She bested top 3 finalists Caleb Lee Hutchinson, a deep-voiced country crooner, and Gabby Barrett, who came in third.
Poppe broke down in tears when host Ryan Seacrest called her name, and struggled to get through coronation song Going Going Gone, her first single on Hollywood Records. Fortunately, she got some help from this season's top 10 contestants, who ran on stage to hug her and chime in on the chorus.
Shortly before the final results were announced, Hutchinson revealed that Poppe is his girlfriend, sending the audience screaming and swooning as the duo launched into a sweet, stripped-down take on Over the Rainbow.
Richie opened the two-hour finale with a glittering performance of his 1983 hit All Night Long, accompanied by the top 10. Bryan took the stage later to sing his latest single Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset with Barrett, while Perry teamed up with spunky finalist Catie Turner for a heartfelt duet of the pop star's Part of Me.
This season's mentors Nick Jonas and Bebe Rexha each returned for performances with recent Idol hopefuls, as did special guests Gary Clark Jr., LeAnn Rimes, Patti LaBelle and Yolanda Adams (joining should-be winner Michael J. Woodard for What the World Needs Now, the night's roof-raising highlight).
You can catch the top 7 — Poppe, Hutchinson, Barrett, Turner, Woodard, Jurnee and Cade Foehner — on tour across the USA this summer with American Idol Live!, which kicks off July 11 in Redding, Calif.
American Idol has been renewed for a second season on ABC. The series aired on Fox from 2002-16.
