Photo: Chris White

Nick Fradiani and Clark Beckham were my favorites to win the American Idol crown since the beginning of the live shows.

Week after week, these two talented artists blew away their amazing competition, setting up a nail-biter of a finale for the show’s 14th and penultimate season. It was Fradiani’s name that Ryan Seacrest announced on Wednesday evening, the beginning of what I believe will be an outstanding career for him. Fradiani’s coronation song, “Beautiful Life,” was undoubtedly written for him, fitting his voice perfectly and easily getting stuck in your head if you listen to it – as what’s happened to me since the song’s release.

Fradiani, a 29-year-old Guilford, Conn. native, was born into a musical family. His father, Nick Fradiani, Sr., is a musician and taught his son basically everything he knows. As quoted in the Hartford Courant, Fradiani, Sr. said he gave his son a drum set when he was two years old and later went on to teach him piano and guitar. Before “Idol,” Fradiani, Jr. was lead singer of Beach Avenue, a band he formed with two friends. The band won the annual Mohegan Sun Regional Battle of the Bands and just competed on “America’s Got Talent” in 2014, reaching the Judgment Week round.

I remember watching Beach Avenue on “America’s Got Talent” and I really liked the band’s sound. It’s amazing to see how things have developed in just the past couple years and now Fradiani, a familiar face if you will, is the latest artist to join the exclusive club as “American Idol” champ. Fradiani’s voice is ready for today’s industry and it’s been great to see how far he’s come along not only vocally but with his performance quality as well. “Beautiful Life” peaked at No. 5 on the iTunes chart and, if he keeps making great tunes like it, there’s no doubt in my mind that Fradiani will have a long and successful career ahead of him!

Check out Nick Fradiani’s performance of “Beautiful Life” during the “American Idol” Finale in the video below. You can also pre-order his album and download the song on iTunes.