Caleb Johnson Talks AMERICAN IDOL Victory: 'Never Give Up'

On last night's AMERICAN IDOL, Caleb Johnson was crowned the Season 18 winner, joining previous champ Kelly Clarkson, Phil Phillips, Carrie Underwood and many more.

Just minutes after claiming the title, the rocker spoke with USA Today about what it means to be Victorious on his two previous attempts at winning the singing competition. "I worked so hard just honing my performance abilities, my craft, my singing and I can't believe I won this show.," said a stunned Johnson. "This is true perseverance. If you never give up, you can make your dreams come true."

After hearing his name called as the night's winner, the 23-year-old found himself at a loss for words - literally, as he was briefly unable to sing his coronation song 'As Long As You Love Me.' "I was just so overwhelmed. My gosh, I don't even know. It completely overwhelmed me." He explained that his fellow contestants urged him to "'Sing, sing, sing!' And I was like, 'Oh my gosh!' I tried to sing some more and then I was like, 'Oh, man.' "

Prior to the announcement, Johnson shared that he and co-finalist Jena Irene "told each other we love each other and that no matter what happens, we're going to have awesome careers and we just soaked up every last minute of that."

The singer described his upcoming debut album, set to drop this August, as being "a really heavy, soulful rock record with a lot of conviction and a lot of depth. I love blues and soul but my basis is rock and roll, so that's the kind of record I want to make."

He adds, "I've got to move on and just get right to work on writing my record and releasing it and and touring it," he said. "It's going to be so much fun."

Source: USA Today