Chayce Beckham Wins American Idol Season 4
Congratulations, Chayce Beckham!
During Sunday's finale of American Idol, longtime host Ryan Seacrest — with judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan — crowned the season 4 winner during a live show in Los Angeles, California.
Throughout the season, 24-year-old Beckham — who first caught the attention of the judges with his audition of "What Brings Life Also Kills" by Kolton Moore and the Clever Few — has wowed viewers with his soothing pipes and heart-wrenching story of triumph.
"I've gone through a lot of ups and downs," Beckham, a heavy machinery operator who has long battled substance abuse, said during his audition. "It's been quite the roller coaster. My whole life kind of flipped upside down and I moved back home with my parents."
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"He was on a dark path for a little while with drinking and his self-worth and whether or not she was good enough," Beckham's mother, Windie Lynn Person, added. "He went through some really hard times."
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During his hometown trip to Apple Valley, California, on Sunday, Beckham said that he's "really proud" of himself and his journey thus far.
"Going in there I was a broken person," Beckham told in-house mentor Bobby Bones. "I came out the other side just a little bit more healed."
"Chayce deserves to be here and he's come such a long way," Bones said before Beckham's performance of The Beatles' "Blackbird."
Last week, Beckham sang his original song "23," which he admitted to writing during a "big turning point" in his life.
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In an interview with the Los Angeles Daily News, Beckham said there were a lot of things in his life that were "changing."
"I wrote it and I kind of kept in my pocket and played it for people here and there," he said. "It was never anything that I was banking on, or I was like, 'Hey, listen to this great song.' People would tell me, 'Man, that song is going to be on the radio one day,' and I was like, 'There's no way,' because I just couldn't picture it."
His original song hit No. 1 on the country charts immediately after its release.
On Sunday, the judges praised Beckham for his growth thus far.
"Sometimes God has to turn up the volume on your life to see if you're listening," Perry told Beckham. "You're listening. Keep listening. Stay the guy from Apple Valley because your world is about to change."
"Watching your confidence, I can't imagine what you're going to look like in five years," added Bryan.
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The three-hour finale was kicked off with a performance by Macklemore — joined by Spence, Beckham, and Kinstler — and included performances by Luke Combs, Fall Out Boy and Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham, Chaka Khan, Mickey Guyton, Leona Lewis, Alessia Cara, Sheryl Crow and Idol judges Perry, Bryan and Richie.
The top 10 finalists, including top three contestants Grace Kinstler and Willie Spence, joined in on the multiple performances for the evening.
