Kentucky Country Singer Noah Thompson Wins American Idol Historic Season 20
American Idol’s historic 20th season crowned a new winner tonight (May 22), Noah Thompson. (Read our Recap)
A raw, yet authentic country singer, the Louisa, Kentucky native seemed to check all the Idol boxes. Noah didn’t even plan to audition, but was convinced by his friend, Arthur. Throughout the competition, he stated that his whole journey was about making a better life for his 1-year-old son, Walker. The whole ride was a rollercoaster of growth for him, starting as a construction worker with little performing experience to winning American Idol.
Noah beat out his fellow American Idol Top 3 contestants, indie singer/songwriter Leah Marlene, and country songwriter, HunterGirl for the prize.
The night kicked off with Bruce Springsteen themed songs. Noah sang the classic hit, “I’m On Fire.” The theme was tailor-made for him. The song allowed his rasp to shine, and gave him some nice, quiet moments. It wasn’t a showstopper, but still a solid number. He also displayed his head voice a little bit for the first time.
Next, we got a look at Noah’s hometown visit to Louisa, Kentucky. The singer noted all the country superstars that come from this area (including Ricky Skaggs, Tyler Childers, and Chris Stapleton). He visited his coworkers at the construction company. And then he took a trip to see his son, girlfriend, and grandmother. Being away from Walker “breaks his heart” but the singer believes the sacrifices his family make now will be worth it. Next, it’s an emotional meet-up with his best friend, Arthur who convinced him to audition in the first place.
The day ended with a hometown concert that feat featured a huge crowd and a big surprise. Kameron Marlowe appeared to duet with Noah on his audition song, “Giving You Up.” The next morning, the county awarded the singer his own road sign that says, “Home of Country Music’s Noah Thompson.” It’s a cool moment.
After the moving clip airs, Noah sings his iTunes chart-topping winners single, “One Day Tonight.” It’s a catchy number, ready for the radio. It is no surprise that the song has been doing well and has over 200,000 streams on Spotify. The track might not be the most vocally compelling, but the song suits Noah and could do well if they decide to push it to country radio.
Midway through the finale, host Ryan Seacrest reveals that Noah and Hunter are the Top 2.
He then joins forces with iconic singer Melissa Etheridge to perform her hit “I’m The Only One.” It’s an imperfect performance, but I appreciate the effort and this style suits Noah nicely and shows that he has more range than he has been showing. Maybe, he’ll release a more bluesy country-rock song later in his career.
Finally, Noah caps off his night with a reprise of his spin on Rihanna and Mikky Ekko’s “Stay” from the showstoppers round. This was his favorite performance from the season. It is a good pick. Ballads do well with voters, and he sounds really good on this song. It isn’t necessarily better than the first time around, but it shows why this performance was so magical for him. It solidified him as a frontrunner in the competition.
When Ryan finally reveals Noah as the winner, it is quite anti-climatic. The confetti doesn’t fall until mid-performance and there is some awkward silence. Noah is in awe, saying “this ain’t right.” Ryan flashes his card. Noah says his “heart is beating out of his chest.” He takes a victory lap by performing his single “One Day Tonight” one more time. The top 10 join him on stage looking happy for their friend. They sing along while hugging the newly crowned American Idol.
Thanks for joining MJ and me throughout the season. From spoiler season to the auditions, to Hollywood, and the lives. It’s been a blast. That’s a wrap! Thank you all!
