By Kevin Rutherford
When Candice Glover won season 12 of American Idol, she did so on her third try, having previously auditioned for the show twice before her lucky break.
Turns out third time’s the charm for her successor, Caleb Johnson, too.
The 23-year-old Johnson, whose higher register made him all the rage with classic rock aficionados, won the 13th season of American Idol Wednesday night (May 21). He had previously auditioned for the show twice but, like Glover, had been unable to make it to the live shows.
The Asheville, North Carolina native beat out 17-year-old Jena Irene, who also slotted comfortably into the rock genre. Had she won, it would have been the first time Idol had turned out back-to-back female winners since Fantasia Barrino and Carrie Underwood won in seasons three and four, respectively.
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The previous night, Johnson had stuck to his roots — as he often did — with a performance of Aerosmith’s “Dream On,” plus a callback performance to an earlier rendition of “Maybe I’m Amazed” from Paul McCartney. He had closed out the show with his coronation song and first single if he proved victorious, “As Long As You Love Me.”
The two-hour live finale, like its The Voice competition the night before, was a star-studded affair featuring multiple big-name artists and the top 13 of the show — minus MK Nobilette, who was out with an illness. Johnson got to perform with Kiss, his brother’s favorite band, with a medley of “Love Gun” and “Shout It Out Loud,” while Jena Irene paired with her favorite act, Paramore, for “Ain’t It Fun.”
Additionally, third-place singer Alex Preston teamed with Jason Mraz for the singer’s new single “Love Someone,” and fourth-place Jessica Meuse performed a duet of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” with Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles. Nettles had previously performed her new solo song, “That Girl.”
Sam Woolf kicked off the show with a rendition of Phillip Phillips’ “Home” with the season 11 winner before Phillips roared into his new song, “Raging Fire.” Darius Rucker was paired with country boys CJ Harris and Dexter Roberts, while Malaya Watson and John Legend harmonized on “All of Me.”
Related: Watch Keith Urban Give a Tour of His ‘Idol’ Trailer
Ryan Seacrest even got into the action. The show’s host attempted — again, attempted, bless his soul — to do a rendition of Richard Marx’s “Right Here Waiting.” When Seacrest, who’d never once tried to sing on the show about singing talent, faltered, he was joined by Marx himself.
The judges got into the groove, too. Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr., Keith Urban and Randy Jackson all got together for a medley of “True Colors” and “Go Your Own Way.” Urban was a highlight, adding a rollicking guitar solo to the end of the latter, while Connick manned two pianos at once.
Currently, American Idol is gearing up for its 14th season, with auditions set to start this summer in various cities across the U.S.
