Four years ago, the then-16-year-old vocalist Jessica Sanchez finished as a runner-up in the final round of the eleventh season of American Idol, losing (to the persisting chagrin of many) to Phillip Phillips. But on Thursday night, she was back on the Idol stage to commemorate the end of the series, and to call it a comeback would be an understatement.
Trent Harmon was voted the winner of the final season Thursday, but if you hadn’t seen the episode and relied on Twitter for updates, you might believe that Sanchez had somehow been belatedly crowned. After her performance of “The Prayer,” Twitter erupted with unanimously fervent praise for the 20-year-old singer.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- For People With Disabilities, Losing Abortion Access Can Be a Matter of Life or Death
- Inside the Clandestine Efforts to Smuggle Starlink Internet Into Iran
- How to Help the Victims and Community After the Monterey Park Shooting
- The Biggest Snubs and Surprises of the 2023 Oscar Nominations
- Talking Less Will Get You More
- Kamala Harris Subtly Emerges as Powerful White House Asset
- How Avatar: The Way of Water Became the 6th Movie in History to Make $2 Billion
- Is There Really No Safe Amount of Drinking?
- How Our Cells Strategize To Keep Us Alive
