Ellie Goulding and Tyson Venegas Light Up ‘American Idol’ Finale

Ellie Goulding and Tyson Venegas lit up the American Idol season 21 finale with their collaborative performance of two of Goulding’s songs.

Decked out in blue sequined-covered jumpsuit, Goulding opened the set with her new song featuring Calvin Harris, “Miracle.” A throbbing bass and dance-friendly beat accented her falsetto voice as she sang, Are you too cynical / To believe in a miracle / That just slipped through my hands / But could you take a chance for me? She was soon joined by Top 10 contestant Venegas, strolling onto the stage singing one of Goulding’s biggest hits, “Burn.”

The song was a natural fit for Venegas’ smooth voice. Fire lit up the stage as they joined forces singing, We’ll be raising our hands / Shining up to the sky / ‘Cause we got the fire, fire, fire / Yeah we got the fire fire fire / And we gonna let it burn burn burn burn. The 17-year-old let his voice soar on the latter line, showing off his vocal stamina as he and Goulding beautifully dueted, bringing judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan to their feet.

“A true honor @elliegoulding,” Venegas wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of him and the hit singer. “@americanidol THANK YOU.” Venegas, a native of Canada, was a Top 10 finalist and was eliminated following a performance of Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved.”

Iam Tongi was named the winner of season 21 of American Idol. A fan and judge favorite since the start, Tongi sang his audition song, “Monsters,” with its original singer James Blunt during the finale. He also debuted his original song, “I’ll Be Seeing You,” which he wrote in honor of his late father. Megan Danielle came in second place and Colin Stough in third.

Goulding was American Songwriter’s April 2023 digital cover artist where she discussed her new album, Higher Than Heaven, and her musical journey.

Photo Credit: ABC/Eric McCandless