‘American Idol’ Finale Winner: Iam Tongi — Season 21 Voting Results

ROUND 1: Megan Danielle (‘God Whispered Your Name’)

Following a surprisingly emotional sit-down with guest-mentor Keith Urban, Danielle took the stage for the night’s first solo performance of Urban’s “God Whispered Your Name.” It wasn’t exactly finale-level exciting, but it also couldn’t have been more in her wheelhouse, so she grounded great.

ROUND 1: Iam Tongi (‘Making Memories of Us’)

Oh, just rip our hearts out, why don’t you?! Urban’s “Making Memories of Us” was apparently Tongi’s parents’ favorite song to dance to in their living room when his father was still alive. With that kind of emotion behind Tongi’s performance, was anyone surprised when he churned out that total tearjerker?

ROUND 1: Colin Stough (‘Stupid Boy’)

A fun, flirty meeting of two wonderful heads of hair resulted in Stough’s solid-yet-snoozy performance of Urban’s “Stupid Boy.” (I say “snoozy” with love, I really do. This is the American Idol finale, and all of the finalists have chosen to perform downers across the board. Didn’t Ryan Seacrest promise us a party? Let’s have some fun, people.)

ROUND 2: Megan Danielle (‘Faithfully’)

Following Danielle’s triumphant return to Douglasville, Ga., the former waitress dedicated her second performance — Journey’s “Faithfully” to her hometown — and it was really good. Like, that’s the energy I’m looking for in a finale. Perry was wiping away tears before Danielle even reached the chorus. And while her vocals were certainly impressive, can we also take a minute to appreciate this look?

ROUND 2: Iam Tongi (‘Cool Down’)

OK, now we’re talking. Tongi kept the party going with his second performance, switching things up with Kolohe Kai’s “Cool Down.” It was a fun, funky performance — a great change of pace from the slower, more emotional songs we’re used to hearing from him. It was during this performance that I became certain, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he would win it all.

ROUND 2: Colin Stough (‘Either Way’)

The energy dipped once again with Stough’s very good (but very serious) cover of Chris Stapleton’s “Either Way.”

FIRST ELIMINATION: Colin Stough

OK, this one was actually kind of a surprise! Like our readers, I was predicting Stough to finish in second place, so I was definitely taken aback when Seacrest sent him packing midway through Sunday’s three-hour broadcast.

ROUND 3: Iam Tongi and James Blunt (‘Monsters’)

There wasn’t a dry eye in the studio audience (or the stage… or the judges’ panel) as Tongi took the stage with Blunt for an emotional performance of “Monsters,” the song that first made America fall in love with Tongi during his audition. If your heart didn’t break as Tongi struggled through his tears, you might want to check to make sure you still have one.

ROUND 3: Megan Danielle and Lauren Daigle (‘Thank God I Do’)

Danielle teamed up with her music idol for the second time this week, delivering a powerful duet of Daigle’s “Thank God I Do,” which she previously performed solo three weeks ago.

ROUND 4: Megan Danielle (‘Dream Girl’)

Danielle kicked off the night’s final round with her new original single “Dream Girl,” a decent jam with a classic (almost Fleetwood Mac-esque?) vibe. I dig it.

ROUND 4: Iam Tongi (‘I’ll Be Seeing You’)

And Tongi ended the night with his single, a touching tribute to his late father.

SECOND ELIMINATION: Megan Danielle

The next finalist to be sent home was Danielle, making her the official runner-up of Season 21. And that means…

WINNER: Iam Tongi!

…Tongi, as predicted and desired by TVLine readers, is the winner of American Idol Season 21.

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