‘American Idol’: La’Porsha Renae stirs crowd, dedicates performance to her daughter

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During the second night of the three-night finale of American Idol, it was obvious that no one touched the judges’ and the audience’s hearts quite like La’Porsha Renae.

Renae started out by singing Dionne Warwick’s 1964 classic “A House is Not a Home.”

As soon as she began the stirring performance, it was clear from the look on the judges’ faces that Renae had won their hearts.

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“That’s one of my top five songs of all time,” Jennifer Lopez said when Renae had finished. “I love Luther Vandross’ version, that was kind of more the Dionne Warwick version. A lot of people have done that [song], now we have the La’Porsha version. That was so beautiful.”

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“All I know is I don’t even smoke and I need a cigarette right now,” Keith Urban said. “It was beautiful, it was smoldering.”

Her final competitor, Trent Harmon, also delivered knockout performances, leading the judges to declare that they felt both deserved to win.

“This is gonna be the closest race in Idol history,” Urban declared after Harmon’s performance.

“For the first time in a long time we’re actually gonna have a battle here,” Lopez added.

Renae has developed a strong following of fans over the course of the season, even earning the support of former American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI9hqTEMcKY

A victim of domestic violence, Renae moved to a shelter to escape an abusive marriage and create a new life with her young daughter Nayalee.

https://twitter.com/laporsharenae/status/713925563589599232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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Renae’s final performance of Rihanna’s “Diamonds” brought the house down, especially after she declared that she was dedicating her performance to “My baby, Nayalee.”

The finale of the show’s 15th and final season airs tonight on FOX.