Noah Thompson, a 20-year-old from Louisa, Kentucky, was crowded the 20th winner of American Idol on Sunday night.
Thompson beat HunterGirl (aka Hunter Wolkonowski) and Toronto-born Leah Marlene in the finale to become the sixth country singer and 13th male to win the competition.
A sheetrock installer by day, Thompson released an album of original songs, No Road I Can Follow, in 2018. His best friend Arthur pushed him to audition for American Idol.
“As a kid, all I thought about was just playing music, being famous,” Thompson said on the show. “But where I’m from, you don’t really get much opportunities.
"My family, they believe in me. The guys I work with believe in me. But I’ve just never believed in myself.”
He auditioned in front of celebrity judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie with Kameron Marlowe’s “Giving You Up.”
Thompson, who has one-year-old son Walker with girlfriend Angel Dixon, released his debut single “One Day Tonight” on May 13.
Canadian finalist Marlene, who lives in Normal, Illinois, finished the competition in third place. During the finale, she and Perry performed “Firework” backed by Marlene’s father Derry Grehan, guitarist in Canadian rock band Honeymoon Suite.
Toronto university student Nicolina Bozzo, who made it to the Top 5, returned to the finale to perform “She Used to Be Mine” with Sara Bareilles.
Canada’s Michael Bublé also appeared on the show to join Christian Guardino on “Smile.”