See Katy Perry’s Reaction to ‘American Idol’s Laine Hardy Winning Season 17

American Idol’s Season 17 ended with Laine Hardy being crowned the winner, and we now have Katy Perry’s reaction to the big moment.

While speaking to Access Online, Perry and fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie spoke about how Hardy and his competitor Alejandro Aranda had very “close” numbers after the scores were tallied. “I heard it was really close, and I’m just so proud that, you know, something that is different has gotten so far,” Perry said. “All that to say, we love Laine, we chose Laine, we begged Laine to come back.”

“We are so happy that the winner is someone we chose,” she then added.

Since Hardy’s big victory, many have come out to cheer on the singer and congratulate him on his win.

“Welcome to the fam [Laine Hardy]!” past American Idol champ Scotty McCreety tweeted.

“Laine!!! congratulations!!! from going to school with you on season 1 to see you blossom into this showman on season 2 has been such a humbling experience. ur comeback is inspiring. it shows to never give up and that growth can happen within a year. u earned it,” fellow American Idol alum Catie Turner said.

“Me oh my oh, congratulations [Laine Hardy]! You’ve made us all [Louisiana Proud] back home,” Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards wrote, “and we can’t wait to have big fun on the bayou!

“A big congratulations to Laine Hardy for being the first Louisiana native to win American Idol. We are so proud of you!” Edwards’ wife Donna gushed.

“Laine Hardy wasn’t supposed to audition and was so hesitant to actually take the golden ticket and now he just won [American Idol],” one fan commented, “I’m not crying, you are.”

Hardy has since spoken out about his win, saying, “My mind is so overwhelmed right now with so many different emotions. I really need to let it sink in. It hasn’t sunk in yet. I’m still processing it but it’s been a crazy night.”