"What a true blessing," American Idol runner-up John Foster expresses gratitude for his journey

American Idol season 23 finale aired on May 18, 2025, and crowned a winner in Jamal Roberts. However, John Foster, who was the second in line, has gained immense popularity through his Idol journey, with almost half of America rooting for his win.

The three-hour finale on Sunday revealed the winner after loads of performances. The Top 14 were invited back on stage to deliver a performance, along with the judges, also using the American Idol stage to give a personal concert to everyone present.

Taking to Instagram, the 18-year-old Addis native thanked everyone who has supported him and been a part of his life. The country singer was much appreciated for his voice, with many fans commenting how, even though he is just starting out, he sounds like a man with an experience 30 years of.

Expressing his gratitude, John Foster wrote,

"Man, what a true blessing to share this Idol stage with so many incredible heroes, both new faces and legends. I’m beyond thankful, and I can’t wait to keep making music for y’all as long as the good Lord lets me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart - times a million. 🙏❤️"

American Idol Season 23 finale - John Foster's performance

The first round of the finale marked John performing "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue." Jelly Rollz, who was the mentor in that episode, wanted John to do something extraordinary and cater to the large audience that he had accumulated till now and give them "a bang."

After the same, when asked about what he thinks about winning the show, the kid humbly replied,

"It’s all going to come down to what America wants to be the next American Idol, what they think the next American Idol is.”

During the second round, his rendition of "Take Me Home, Country Roads" awed the judges as the audience was clapping along to the beats.

During the second hour, Breanna was eliminated, and John and Jamal moved to the next round.

When the final moments rolled out during Round 3, John decided to perform his own classic called "Tell That Angel I Love Her." He had written this track for his friend Maggie Dunn, who had passed away in a car accident.

With just 15 minutes left for the winner to be announced, John channeled all his love and pain into the performance, and it was visible to the judges. Jamal Roberts also decided to perform his own song called "Heal," which he sang for the first time on TV. The song represents a prayer.

By the end of the night, the two had a very close competition. America started voting, and soon, the lights went off. Host Ryan Seacrest announced that Jamal Roberts was the winner. John congratulated his fellow contestant.

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All episodes of American Idol season 23 are available to stream online via Hulu.

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