'American Idol' winner Chayce Beckham and runner-up Willie Spence react to finale
We have a winner!
During Sunday night's "American Idol" grand finale, Chayce Beckham was crowned as this season's winner.
The big announcement came after a three-hour music-filled celebration.
Beckham appeared alongside the season's runner-up, Willie Spence, on "Good Morning America" Monday to discuss the culmination of the epic season.
"It was crazy experiencing that," Beckham said about the moment he heard his name announced as the next winner of "Idol."
"I was just happy to be up there with Willie. I think either way it would have gone, we would have been OK with it," he added. "It was -- honestly you really can't put words to the way it makes you feel."
During the finale, the Top 3 -- Spence, Beckham and Grace Kinstler -- shared the stage with many famous names in the industry. The trio first joined Macklemore to perform the hit "Can't Hold Us."
Spence described it as "an honor" to sing alongside top artists. "I would have never, ever imagined me being on the stage with such amazing artists," he said. "I was just living in the moment."
The star-studded grand finale also included appearances from the legendary Chaka Khan, country star Mikey Guyton and rock band Fall Out Boy -- to name a few.
The A-listers were joined by both current and past contestants like Alyssa Wray, Cassie Bishop, Cassandra Coleman, Deshawn Goncalves, Graham DeFranco and Hunter Metts to deliver entertaining collaborations of their hit songs. Jingle writer Tom McGovern and fan-favorite Murphy also dropped in.
In addition to the collaborations, the Top 3 each took the stage for two solo performances. Their first songs were chosen by judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.
For Grace, they chose Céline Dion's "All By Myself." For Willie, the three wanted to see him perform Ray Charles' "Georgia On My Mind."
Lastly, they challenged Beckham to sing "Blackbird" by The Beatles.
For the second round of solo performances, Kinstler sang Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing." Spence sang Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" and Beckham sang Chris Stapleton's "Fire Away."
After the Top 3 sang their hearts out, it was time to narrow it down to the Top 2. First to be eliminated was Grace, leaving fans to choose between Willie and Chase for their next American Idol.
As the votes poured in, so did more of the star-studded musical performances. Artists like Sheryl Crow, Alessia Cara, Luke Combs, Leona Lewis and Fleetwood Mac each took the stage ... as did the judges.
Then it was time for one last performance from the Top 2. Beckham serenaded the crowd with a cover of Ed Sheeran's "Afterglow," while Spence took the audience to church with a reprise of Cynthia Erivo's "Stand Up."
After that, Beckham was declared the 2021 winner.
