'Something special about him:' Noah Thompson's grandmother talks about raising the 'American Idol' winner

May 28—LOUISA — Before Noah Thompson won this season of "American Idol," Karen Thompson already knew he was different.

"I always said there was something special about him," said Thompson, 70, his grandmother who raised him from age 3. "It was like he was never a kid. He had an old soul."

The singer grew up in Blaine, and loved music from the beginning, trying to sing before he could talk.

"He could always carry a tune, even when he was little," his grandmother said. "He loved music and we'd sing together in the car on the way to school. He'd say, 'Play it again, Mawmaw,' and I'd say, 'I can't. It was on the radio.'"

She noted the young man's father is a musician, so he was exposed to music nearly constantly and likely inherited his talent.

He also attended Trinity Christian Academy, which is affiliated with the First Baptist Church of Louisa, starting in the 3-year-old program, and performed in a skit during his time there. He entered public school when he was 10.

Thompson said her grandson was a funny child and always had lots of energy, but was never one to seek attention.

"He's shy and not outgoing, so (appearing on television) was a lot," she said.

And he struggled.

"There were times he thought, 'I can't do this, I don't want to do this, I miss my home and my family,'" she recalled. "It was hard on him, but he made up his mind he was going to finish. I was amazed and proud to find out everybody loved him, the same as I do."

From the beginning, she said he was impressed with the other contestants.

"He thought maybe he would perform a few times," she said. "There were some amazing voices there and Noah was in awe of their talents. He's humble and he doesn't see himself the way others do."

She said she has always loved hearing him sing, but she wasn't convinced he would win "American Idol."

"(His voice) is soothing to me, but I'm close to him, so you wonder if everybody else is going to think the same way," she said.

Enough voters in the audience agreed Noah Thompson is special and he was named the winner of the 20th season on ABC's "American Idol" on Sunday. Since then, Thompson has been embraced by the area and his grandmother is stunned by the support.

"It's amazing the love and support of everybody here," she said. "This town's incredible, anyway. If anything is wrong, people step right up and are there for you. I don't think I knew there were so many people here!"

Thompson traveled to California to visit with her grandson for the Mother's Day episode and to see the finale in person, but got to see Noah very little.

"They have a very, very tight schedule. They get up early and work late," she explained. "After he won, they whisked him away."

She said that trip was very quick and included COVID-19 testing for visitors.

"It was very rushed. We didn't have time to rest and only got to see Noah for a few minutes," she said. "It was an amazing experience. Katy Perry was amazing. She held Walker (Noah's son) and he went right to her."

While the show is over, Noah will have a musical career in front of him.

"It's still hard to take it all in," she said. "It's like this is not happening to us."

For now, Noah is back home in Louisa, awaiting word about the next step, whether it's a tour or recording or promotional appearances.

But Karen Thompson would have been satisfied regardless of the outcome of the show.

"He was just an amazing little boy. There was just something so special about him," she said. "Regardless of what happens in life, raising him was the best thing that ever happened to me."

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