The results are in and 21-year-old Abi Carter from Indio, Calif. is the winner of American Idol for 2024.
“Voters of this show have definitely favored males for a while, and I just cannot even begin to express how honored I am because it’s hard for a girl to win, so for them to give me that honor is just incredible,” Abi said backstage after her win.
There were a lot of powerful performances on finale night, but one for Abi was her performance of “Somewhere” from West Side Story.
Lionel Richie said: “That was a showstopping moment. It doesn’t get any better than that when you can take it down to silence and kill the show.”
And Katy Perry added, “If you win American Idol, the bar’s going to be set so high.”
Disney/Eric McCandless
The “Somewhere” moment may have been a great one for viewers, but an especially poignant moment for Abi was a prerecorded video appearance by Billie Eilish, who said, “Hi Abi, its Billie. I wanted to say congratulations for making the Top 3 on American Idol. This is such a big deal. I’m so happy for you. It’s so amazing to see you in the finale after you sang my song, ‘What Was I Made For?’ in your audition. I love you so much. I wish you nothing but the best and I just can’t wait to see what happens tonight. I’m here to support you forever and I love ya, have fun.”
Abi ended upon on her knees in tears from the endorsement from one of her music icons.
Abi said, “Don’t even. I have literally been a fan of Billie Eilish’s since her first single, ‘Ocean Eyes’ came out. That I am pretty sure changed me musically as well as who I am as a person, so I just don’t think I would be here without Billie Eilish. I sang that song for my audition and because of that, I connected so heavily with it and was able to get the Platinum Ticket. That propelled me into getting a lot of people in America into knowing who I am and from there to here…and her message tonight, who knows?’ Maybe that was a kick and helped me. I don’t even know what to say. She changed my life.”
Abi, who is the first Platinum Ticket holder to win American Idol, hasn’t had time to process yet what it all means to win, but she did tell, “I want to keep writing songs, recording songs and releasing songs and, hopefully, release an album and go on tour someday. I just hope to do all the basics, all the artist things, so that’s my goal, that’s my plan.”
American Idol has been picked up for its eighth season on ABC, which will premiere in early 2025 with a new configuration on the judging panel.
