AP

LOS ANGELES – The big voice overwhelmed the beatbox Wednesday night as Jordin Sparks was crowned the newest and youngest “American Idol.”

Sparks, 17, of Glendale, Ariz., prevailed over Blake Lewis, 25, of Bothell, Wash., after a triumphant performance Tuesday that wowed the show’s judges and viewers who gave her a majority of the record 74 million votes cast.

“Mom, Dad, I love you,” Sparks, the daughter of retired NFL player Phillippi Sparks, said tearfully after a bear hug from Lewis. Sparks ended the show by singing her new single, “This is My Now.”