Sam Wilkinson has won The Voice Kids UK after singing a self-penned song.
The 13-year-old singer-songwriter, who was mentored by Danny Jones in the ITV talent competition, was stunned when it was announced he had won the series following a public vote.
He fended off competition from singers Keira Laver and Gracie-Jayne Fitzgerald and rapper Lil Shan Shan in the finale, which saw each of the acts perform with their coaches.
Sam is the winner of #TheVoiceKidsUK 2019 pic.twitter.com/22g2pgZSTv
— The Voice Kids UK (@thevoicekidsuk) July 27, 2019
Stunned after hearing he had won the series, a smiling Sam said: “Thanks, that is so cool. I can’t believe it, oh my God.”
McFly star Jones said: “Tonight was the hardest because they were all worthy winners, the talent has been unbelievable, but Sam really deserves it.
“It has been a pleasure to mentor him, he’s my little bro now.”
Earlier in the episode, Sam impressed the judges with his performance of his original song Everything’s Alright.
He had originally performed the song in his blind audition, which came just over a year after his mother died following a leukaemia diagnosis.
That's it for this year's #TheVoiceKidsUK and what a series it's been! Thank you to our fabulous Finalists & Singers, our incredible Coaches, the amazing @EmmaWillis and of course, YOU GUYS! ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/yOKxo8uN1V
— The Voice Kids UK (@thevoicekidsuk) July 27, 2019
He also performed a duet of Hey Jude with Jones.
The episode got off to a patchy start with a technical glitch hampering the first performance of the evening, Gracie-Jayne’s rendition of Nina Simone’s Feeling Good.
Host Emma Willis was forced to apologise to the audience for the false start, saying that the 12-year-old could not hear the music.
Despite the glitch, Gracie-Jayne powered through and won praise from the judges for keeping her cool.
Keira, nine, also impressed with her performance of Sir Elton John’s Can You Feel The Love Tonight, as did 11-year-old Lil Shan Shan, who rapped her own song.
Gracie-Jayne went on to perform River Deep Mountain High by Tina Turner with her mentor Pixie Lott, and Keira and her mentor Jessie J performed Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston’s When You Believe.
Lil Shan Shan took to the stage with her coach Will.i.am for a rendition of the Black Eyed Peas’ Pump It.
Little Mix also appeared in the show, performing their latest single Bounce Back.
Sam has won a £30,000 bursary towards his music education and a trip to the Universal Orlando Resort in Florida, along with the other three finalists.