After an emotional two hours Thursday, Trent Harmon was declared the winner of the 15th and final season of “American Idol.”
It didn’t turn out the way I’d hoped. I favored La’Porsha Renae from McComb, Miss., my hometown, but it just wasn’t in the votes.
Still, viewers didn’t do too shabby. Harmon, of Armory, Miss., is a solid performer and the first winner from my home state. I’m not dancing but I’m pretty happy.
“I worked so hard … and she pushed me to do it,” he said, holding onto La’Porsha.
She pushed me. It wasn’t hard to believe.
Other than her powerful, sultry voice, I knew there was something I liked about La’Porsha Renae that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but here it is.
Her conviction, that sense that what she is doing has meaning and purpose beyond herself; a zeal to transform her life and, thus, make a difference in the lives of others.
It came to me a week ago as I listened to the “American Idol” finalist explain why she didn’t quite feel the song “Stay With Me.” Judges said that while she hit every note perfectly, they sensed in her face that she didn’t believe the words.
“I didn’t like the message,” she said. “I would never tell a woman to beg” a man to stay with her.
When I spoke to La’Porsha Tuesday morning, she credited her life experiences and her mother, Carolyn Mays, for teaching her to stand by her convictions regardless of the consequences.
It’s why she has been able to persevere despite the domestic abuse she experienced during her marriage. Why, even though she didn’t make it past the cattle call during her first audition, she was determined to try again this season. And why criticism about her hair hasn’t fazed her.
“Whenever I got picked on, my mom would always sit down with me and have long talks about how special I was,” she said. “That braced me for the ignorant mentality that’s out there. Being in front of more people hasn’t changed that.”
After waxing nostalgic in a 90-minute special — "American Idol: American Dream" — Tuesday, La'Porsha, Trent and Dalton Rapattoni competed in the production's grand finale that kicked off Wednesday night.
But it was also nailbiting. So much so it was hard to enjoy. My anxiety about who got the most votes — Trent or La’Porsha — had my stomach in knots.
The 22-year-old first auditioned for “American Idol” six years ago but didn’t make it past the “cattle call.”
La’Porsha decided to try again last year because she believed the popular reality show “was the perfect platform to try and start a singing career,” a dream she’d nursed since she was a 6-year-old singing along with her parents’ “Body and Soul” CD collection.
This time around, La’Porsha said she was even more determined to sing her way onto the show because she had a daughter, someone for whom to fight; to improve her own state so she could then provide a better life for her daughter.
If I had a dollar for every time I tried to get a teenage mom to understand that concept, I'd be rich. You gotta put in the work to improve yourself before you can even begin to improve the life of others.
The day before the finale began, La’Porsha told me there would be three people she’d be thinking about during her final performance. God. Her daughter. And those she’s been given the opportunity to touch.
“I don’t take that for granted,” she said. “I want to make sure I reach them in some kind of deep way.”
I was late to this season’s shows, but after weeks of listening to people rave about La’Porsha, I gave in and returned to the show to see what all the talk was about.
I learned pretty quickly that you couldn’t listen to La’Porsha and not be touched in some way. She was just that good.
So good, in fact, that the judges often commented that they couldn’t offer a critique, that they felt like they’d been to a La’Porsha concert when she sang.
But the judges didn’t pick the winner. The viewers did and they favored Trent.
Even so, La’Porsha Renae will remain my American Idol, not just for her singing chops but for the sweet, gentle example she has been for all of us.
