Tate Stevens 'The X Factor' Winner Takes $5 Million Recording Contract on Season 2
Country singer Tate Stevens, 37, won season 2 of "The X Factor" on Thursday evening defeating 13-year-old singing phenom Carly Rose Soneclar and girls' band Fifth Harmony.
Stevens, a street crew worker from Belton, Mo., took home a $5 million recording contract after more than 35 million votes were cast. His mentor L.A. Reid said he was proud of him and he believed that he represented "The X Factor" really well.
"First and foremost I got to thank the man upstairs for taking care of me, my family, all the country music fans - God bless you," he said after hearing the results. "Thank you so much for all the votes. This is the best day of my life."
Stevens is married to his high school girlfriend and has two children. He put his career as a country singer on hold to sustain his family but his wife pushed him to pursue his dream.
He was the oldest contestant among the finalists and landed on the Top position many times throughout the show, getting the most votes for three of five weeks in which the show revealed the rankings.
Before the win, L.A. Reid said Tate was an example for people.
"I think Tate stands as an example for anyone. He's 37 years old, he didn't give up on his dreams - he put them on hold, but he never gave up - if that isn't a lesson to anybody I don't know what is," he said.
As for Fifth Harmony, judge Simon Cowell commented:
"I have a feeling that we're gonna be hearing and seeing a lot more of these girls in the future."
