LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Jermaine Paul was front and centre on "The Voice."
The 33-year-old background singer from Harriman, N.Y., was declared the winner of the NBC singing competition Tuesday.
Paul, who was coached by country singer and "Voice" mentor Blake Shelton, was awarded the show's grand prize of $100,000 and a record deal with Universal after crooning R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" for his final solo performance Monday.
"I just want to say thank you to everybody that supported me from day one," said Paul through tears.
Juliet Simms, the 26-year-old indie rocker from San Francisco who was coached by Cee Lo Green, came in second place. She was followed by Tony Lucca, the 36-year-old former Mouseketeer from Detroit, who was guided by Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine. Chris Mann, the 30-year-old classical singer from Wichita, Kan., who was shepherded by pop diva Christina Aguilera, rounded out the final four.
Javier Colon won the first season of "The Voice" last year.
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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang .
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