Noah Thompson (born April 18, 2002)[1] was a contestant, and the eventual winner, on Season 20 of American Idol.
Audition[]
Noah auditioned in Austin. He sang "Giving You Up" by Kameron Marlowe. All three judges voted "yes", sending him to the next round.
Hollywood Round[]
Noah was shown in the "Country" category of the Genre Challenge, in a group with Ryleigh Madison. He sang "Burning House" by Cam. He was later shown in a duet called "Kentucky Idol" with Olivia Faye singing "July" by Noah Cyrus. For his final solo performance, he sang "Stay" by Rihanna, ft. Mikky Ekko. Afterwards, the judges told him that he did enough to make the Top 24.
Top 24[]
Noah appeared in Group 2 and sang "Blue Side of the Mountain" by The Steeldrivers. He received enough votes to advance.
Top 20[]
Noah sang "Falling" by Harry Styles. He received enough votes to place in the Top 10, making him a finalist. To celebrate, he sang "Cover Me Up" by Jason Isbell.
Top 14[]
Noah sang "Stand by Me" by Ben E. King. He received enough votes to be "safe" for another week.
Top 11[]
Noah sang "Heartbreak Warfare" by John Mayer, as chosen by Luke Bryan. He received enough votes to be "safe" for another week.
Top 10[]
Noah sang "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story. He received enough votes to be considered "safe" for another week.
Top 7[]
Due to testing positive for COVID-19 before the Top 7 telecast, Noah performed his songs from his hotel room. (His fellow competitor, Fritz Hager, was also quarantined. However, his pre-taped dress rehearsal performances were used in lieu of live renditions instead.) Noah sang "Painted Blue" by Sundy Best and "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac. He received enough votes to be "safe" for another week.
Top 5[]
Noah sang "So Small" by Carrie Underwood and "Working Man" by Larry Fleet. He received enough votes to land a spot in the Finale.
Season 20 Finale[]
Noah sang "I'm on Fire" by Bruce Springsteen, "One Day Tonight" and a reprise of "Stay" by Rihanna, ft. Mikky Ekko. Noah received more votes than Huntergirl and Leah Marlene, making him the American Idol.
Trivia[]
- Noah was the first televised contestant on Season 20.
- This marks the first time the first televised contestant won American Idol.
- Being born in 2002 Noah is the first winner of the show to be born the same year the show went on the air.