Chayce Beckham wins American Idol 2021, performs his original song in finale.
Chayce Beckham was crowned the winner of season 19 of ‘American Idol’ during the show’s finale on May 23. Willie Spence became the first runner-up while Grace Kinstler came in the third position.
It was finale time on American Idol. The show’s season 19 finale aired live on May 23, and Chayce Beckham’s fans proved their love for him. He received the most number of votes and was crowned the winner.
Throughout the season, 24-year-old Beckham who first caught the attention of the judges with his audition of “What Brings Life Also Kills” by Kolton Moore and the Clever Few has wowed viewers with his soothing pipes and heart-wrenching story of triumph
In the finale, Beckham performed The Beatles’ “Blackbird,” “Fire Away” by Chris Stapleton, and Ed Sheeran’s “Afterglow.” He also joined Luke Combs to perform “Forever After All.” The finale opened with the Top 3 performing “Can’t Hold Us” with Macklemore. Spence and Beckham later joined Fall Out Boy to perform “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up).” The Top 8 singers from Season 19 later joined judge Lionel Richie to sing “One World.”
Beckham worked as a heavy machine operator before auditioning on Idol. During his audition, he opened up about his struggle with substance abuse, calling his life a “roller coaster,” notes PEOPLE. “My whole life kind of flipped upside down and I moved back home with my parents,” he said. His mother, Windie Lynn Person, noted that he was “on a dark path for a little while with drinking and his self-worth and whether or not she was good enough… He went through some really hard times.”
Host Ryan Seacrest along with judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan crowned the season 4 winner Chayce Beckham during a live show in Los Angeles, California.
