Jordin Sparks grew up on âAmerican Idol,â watching the show since she was 12 years old and telling her mother it was what she wanted to do.
âNow Iâm actually doing it,â the 17-year-old told reporters backstage after winning the competition in Wednesdayâs season finale.
The announcement that the Arizona teenager bested Blake Lewis, 25, the beat-boxer from Washington, came at the end of a two-hour extravaganza at the Kodak Theatre.
âIâve just been trying to top myself each week,â Sparks told The Associated Press. âI would sing my song and after I was done I was like, `OK, what am I going to do next week thatâs going to be ⌠either just as good or better.â
Sparks, with a floor-length gown and movie-star hair, gushed like a teenager when her name was called.
âThank you so much for everything,â she told the crowd. âMom, Dad, I love you. Nana, Papa, P.J., thank you guys.â
Then she began âThis Is My Now,â the tune picked by viewers in a new online âAmerican Idolâ songwriting contest. Both she and Lewis performed the track Tuesday, and judge Simon Cowell reiterated Wednesday the song sold him on Sparks.
âIf Iâm going to call it, based on the last song, congratulations Jordin,â Cowell said, before the winner was announced.
The contest came down to the stronger singer, Sparks, or the better entertainer, Lewis. Sparks delivered her songs simply and powerfully; Lewisâ flourishes included beatboxing and sharp dance moves.
Lewis said backstage that he didnât mind coming in second.
âI picked Jordin Sparks at the top 24 as the American Idol winner,â he said proudly. âI was actually going to try to wear a `Vote for Jordin Sparksâ T-shirt last night but they wouldnât let me do it.â
Lewis compared his sound to Michael Jackson and Jamiroquai and said his forthcoming album will be âlike electro pop, very danceable.â
Sparks won a recording contract as part of her âIdolâ prize, but Lewis hasnât yet secured a deal.
âHopefully some creative minds would like to work with me,â he said.
The finale pulled out the stops and the stars, with Gwen Stefani, Smokey Robinson, Tony Bennett, Bette Midler, and Green Day among the performers.
Stefani sang her new single, â4 in the Morning,â via satellite from a tour stop in Massachusetts.
Midler took the stage as the show drew near its close, singing âThe Wind Beneath My Wings.â
Past âIdolâ winners and this seasonâs contestants got a hefty share of attention, starting with first-season winner Kelly Clarkson. She performed her new single âNever Again,â the gritty rock song matched by her black dress and thigh-high boots.
Carrie Underwood, the fourth-season idol, sang âIâll Stand by Youâ and was honored by legendary music mogul Clive Davis for reaching 6 million in sales for her debut album, âSome Hearts.â
Taylor Hicks, last seasonâs winner, also had his moment, as did Ruben Studdard, the winner from year two.
Robinson, a Motown great, performed âBeing with Youâ after the top six male contestants, including fan fave Sanjaya Malakar, sang âOoh Baby Baby,â a hit for Robinson and his group the Miracles.
âAll the guys are very nice guys, wonderful young peopleâ Robinson said of the Idol finalists backstage. Sparks deserved to win, he said.
âShe is an awesome singer. She sings so good itâs hard to believe sheâs 17,â he said. âTo sing like that, you would have to have lived for a long time. Sheâs an old soul.â
Blake, whose beat-boxing scored with viewers and brought a hip-hop element to âIdol,â performed with veteran rapper Doug E. Fresh on his old hit, âThe Show.â It was a signature moment for a contest that has introduced young viewers to Gershwin and other standards.
âTrue originals,â host Ryan Seacrest said of the duo.
Backstage, Fresh called Lewis âan incredibly talented, good guy.â
âHe just has such an incredible energy and he loves hip hop so much,â Fresh said from behind aviator sunglasses.
Gladys Knight took the stage with the six female finalists, belting out âI Feel a Songâ and âMidnight Train to Georgia.â Bennett performed a mellow version of âFor Once in My Lifeâ that ended with a big finish.
âA true idol, Tony Bennett, ladies and gentlemen,â gushed Seacrest.
Melinda Doolittle, arguably the best âIdolâ contestant to miss out on the finale, returned to impress the crowd again as she sang âHold Up the Lineâ with gospel stars BeBe and CeCe Winans.
âShe has proven in the last few months to be spectacular,â BeBe Winans said backstage of Doolittle.
The show took a serious turn when Green Day performed âA Working Class Hero is Something to Be,â a single from âInstant Karma: The Campaign to Save Darfur,â a fundraising album for the embattled region.
Viewers cast more than 74 million votes in making Sparks the winner. Hundreds of âAmerican Idolâ fans lined Hollywood Boulevard leading up to the theater before the show.
On Tuesday, judges Cowell and Randy Jackson made it clear Sparks was their favorite. Diplomatic Paula Abdul kept her counsel as usual, praising both singers. Although the judges didnât have a say in the decision, their opinions can sway voters.