A
new


American
Idol
winner
is
stepping
into
the
spotlight.

Host


Ryan
Seacrest
announced


Jamal
Roberts as
the
season
23
champion
during
the
May
18
finale
as
judges


Carrie
Underwood,


Lionel
Richie
and


Luke
Bryan
cheered.

To
take
the
title,
Roberts
beat
out
finalist

John
Foster,
as
well
as

Breanna
Nix,
who
was
eliminated
earlier
in
the
night.

Ahead
of
the
finale,
which
featured
performances
by
Foster,
Nix,
Roberts,

Good
Charlotte,

Jessica
Simpson,

Jelly
Roll
and

Patti
LaBelle,
among
others,
Underwood—who
won
the

Idol
title
in
2005—offered
a
piece
of
advice
to
the
top
three
contestants.

“Just
hang
on,”
she
told

E!
News
after “Disney
Night”
May
12. “Right
now,
it’s
such
a
tough
time
for
them
because
they
don’t
even
get
a
chance
to
relax
tonight.”

“They’re
gonna
fly
home,
they’re
thinking
about
what
they’re
going
to
do
for
the
finale,”
Underwood
explained. “They’re
trying
to
figure
out
their
songs,
their
arrangements—worried
about
all
that
stuff,
they’re
gonna
have
press
to
do.
There’s
just
so
many
things
going
on.”

And
while
the
finalists
had
a
lot
to
juggle
this
past
week,
the
Grammy
winner
noted
that
it’s
only
a
preview
of
what’s
to
come.