Melanie, 19-year-old from Sunrise, Florida won a $5 million record deal and a starring role in a Pepsi advert.
Melanie Amaro, a ballad singer whose voice has drawn comparisons to Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, had been tipped by the four judges to win after delivering a powerful rendition of Beyonce's hit Listen in Thursday Night finale. Come inside to read more.........................
After the result she dropped to her knees in prayer and wept with joy, speechless at her victory.
"We came here to find a superstar and we found a superstar," said a delighted judge Simon Cowell after Amaro won the contest.
Josh Krajcik finished second after a public vote and Chris Rene came in third after a Christmas-themed, two-hour finale that also saw performances by Justin Bieber, Stevie Wonder, Leona Lewis and 50 Cent.
More than 100,000 people auditioned for a chance to compete in the US X Factor, which judge and entrepreneur Simon Cowell brought to American television after making it the most-watched show in Britain.
But the US show has fallen short of the ratings and critical expectations set up by Cowell. It has drawn an average of 12 million viewers, about half the audience for long-running singing contest American Idol that is also on Fox.
The show's second season airs on Fox next fall with auditions kicking off next month.
Earlier this week Simon Cowell said he was probably "too cocky" when he launched X Factor in America.
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