Candice Glover beat Kree Harrison for the American Idol title on Thursday night’s season 12 finale. Judges Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj gave her a standing ovation.
Glover had a hard time speaking through her tears. “I can’t even – oh my God,” she said.
Glover then took to the stage for one last performance. She sang her new single, “I Am Beautiful.”
Speaking to reporters after the show, Glover said her win feels extra special because she was rejected in two past auditions for American Idol. "It feels amazing to finally have gotten to this point after working so hard for so long," the 23-year-old said. "I always knew for some reason that it would happen if I kept going. I even said at some point, 'American Idol obviously doesn't want me why would I go back?' But I found myself on the website looking at the auditions again."
Harrison said she is “so proud” of Glover. "The beauty of Candice and I is that we are both totally different artists," she told reporters. "We are both so driven for each other's careers and I just felt like it was the beginning. This is not the end of the road for any of us. I'm so proud of her."
Up next for the pair is the American Idol tour, which begins in late June. Glover will release her debut album, Music Speaks, the following month.
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