American Idol (season 12)
| Broadcast from | January 16 – May 16, 2013 |
|---|---|
| Judges | |
| Host(s) | Ryan Seacrest |
| Broadcaster | Fox |
| Finals venue | Nokia Theatre Los Angeles |
| Candice Glover | |
Glover singing the National Anthem at Citi Field in Queens, New York
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| Origin | St. Helena Island, South Carolina |
| Song | "I Am Beautiful" |
| Genre(s) | |
| Kree Harrison | |
The twelfth season of American Idol premiered on January 16, 2013, as part of the mid-season of the 2012–13 network television season.Ryan Seacrest returned to host. Randy Jackson returned for his twelfth season as judge and was joined by new judges Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban, who replaced Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler.
The season was the third to have four judges, after the eighth and ninth seasons. It was also the first season in the show's history where all the finalists of one gender (male) were eliminated before any finalists of the opposite gender, thus making it the first to not only have an all-female top 5, but also the first season since the sixth to produce a female winner, as well as the first season since the third to have a finale consisting of two women. It was also the first season where the judges did not use the "Judges' Save" since its introduction in the eighth season. This was the third season where both finalists were in the bottom three or two at some point in the competition, following the third and eighth seasons.
On May 16, 2013, Candice Glover was announced the winner of the twelfth season of American Idol, making Kree Harrison the runner-up. Glover also became the third African-American female behind Fantasia Barrino and Jordin Sparks to win the show. Glover was also the last female contestant to win the competition. In a series first, Glover's debut album, Music Speaks, was available for pre-order immediately following the finale broadcast. So far, two finalists, Candice Glover and Angie Miller, are signed to record deals. This was the only season to feature Carey and Minaj as judges, who both decided to leave the show in May 2013 to focus on their music careers.
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