Jordin Sparks is the new American Idol. The 17-year-old from Glendale, Ariz., is the youngest winner in the talent contest's six seasons.
Tonight's star-studded, two-hour results gala was watched by an estimated 150 million people worldwide.
She charmed viewers with her girl next door personality and impressed the judges with her vocal control in the power ballads. Unfazed by the occasional shaky performance, she demonstrated a focus and discipline beyond her years.
Sparks was up against the hip Blake Lewis and it was considered a tight race right to the end.
Lewis, a 25-year-old full-time musician from Bothell, Wash., was the hippest of the Top 10 gang, had all the smooth moves and was enormously popular with the younger female voters.
He consistently impressed the judges with the contemporary spin he put on the songs he sang.
His beat-box arrangement of the Bon Jovi hit You Give Love a Bad Name was considered the most creative moment of the Top 10 shows.
It was even reported fans of quirky Top 10 contestant Sanjaya Malakar were throwing their support behind Lewis following Malakar's departure April 18.
But it wasn't enough tonight to outnumber fans of the determined and talented Sparks.
American Idol judge Simon Cowell, considered by many to be the voice of reason on the judge's panel, summed up the difficulty faced by voters, saying it was a contest between the better singer, Jordin Sparks, and the better entertainer, Blake Lewis.
A record-breaking 74 million votes were tallied following Tuesday's show.
Not winning American Idol doesn't necessarily make you a loser. Yes, the winner gets a record deal with 19 Entertainment, the Idol producer, but then so have any number of other Top 10 contestants from past American Idol seasons.
19 Entertainment reserves the right to sign any of the Top 10 contestants it wishes.
Last season's winner Taylor Hicks has sold 677,000 units of his debut single. Not bad.
But his numbers pale in comparison to last year's fourth-place finisher Chris Daughtry, who has sold 2.
5 million copies of his debut album, a mainstay on the Top 10 charts for six months.
American Idol Season 3 seventh-place finisher Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar for her performance in the film Dream Girls this year.
And season 4 winner Carrie Underwood got it right.
She was honoured during tonight's show for selling over six million albums.
Guests included original American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson, season 2 winner Ruben Studdard, season 4 winner Underwood, season 5 winner Hicks, Gwen Stefani, Gladys Knight, Tony Bennett, Green Day, Bette Midler, and the African Children's Choir.
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