Los Angeles: Deep-voiced country singer Scotty McCreery won the tenth season of \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d on Wednesday, defeating rival Lauren Alaina who had been dubbed the front-runner by the show\u2019s judges heading into the night.<\/p>\n
McCreery, 17, hugged the other \u201cIdol\u201d contestants from the season and his family after host Ryan Seacrest proclaimed him the winner of the television singing competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever in my wildest dreams. I got to thank the Lord first. He got me here,\u201d McCreery said.<\/p>\n
A grocery store clerk from Garner, North Carolina, McCreery sang \u201cI Love You This Big,\u201d his first single, before a packed audience on the live broadcast — and then tried to catch the confetti raining down on him in his mouth.<\/p>\n
A record 122 million votes were cast by phone, text message and online after McCreery and Alaina — both country singers — each gave their final performances on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Alaina, 16, emerged as the judges\u2019 favorite on Tuesday after overcoming a blown out vocal chord to deliver an emotional performance dedicated to her mother. But backstage following the show, Alaina said she had expected McCreery to take home the title.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told him at the beginning of the episode, \u2018Scotty are you ready to win?\u2019\u201d Alaina said. \u201cHe\u2019s my best friend and I love him and I couldn\u2019t be happier for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also backstage, McCreery joked that with the win under his belt he\u2019d like to spend some time \u201con the couch watching some \u2018SportsCenter\u00b4 and eating some chips.\u201d<\/p>\n
The results were announced following a two-hour star-studded live broadcast that included performances from Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Judas Priest and even new \u201cIdol\u201d judges Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler.<\/p>\n
McCreery won over audiences during the season with his distinctive voice and a poise onstage that belies his youth. He is the first country music champion since Carrie Underwood took the title in 2005 and went on to become the top \u201cIdol\u201d earner in terms of record sales and tours.<\/p>\n
When asked about plans for his album, McCreery said he\u2019s focused on getting good songs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all about the songs after this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
McCreery\u2019s win marked the fourth straight year that a male contestant has won the competition.<\/p>\n
As the new \u201cAmerican Idol,\u201d McCreery wins a record contract with a Universal Music Group record label. An album of songs McCreery performed during the season was released Tuesday, exclusively on the iTunes music store. Alaina\u2019s songs from the season are also being sold as an album on iTunes, and she has her own single, \u201cLike My Mother Does.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now in its 10th year, \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d has been a ratings juggernaut for Fox and the nation\u2019s most-watched TV show for the last seven years.<\/p>\n