The Four‘s second season will come to an end on Aug. 2, but before it does, there’s one finalist you should learn a bit more about. Leah Jenea only entered the competition in the last round of auditions, but she’s already emerged as a frontrunner going into tonight’s finale. Here are five things you need to know about her!
1. She unseated frontrunner James Graham for her seat. The British crooner had defended his seat since the first episode, but that all changed when Leah wowed the judges with her performance of “Best Part” by Daniel Caesar on the July 19 episode. Her “great vibes” and unique vocals convinced the judges to let her challenge a finalist, and she came for James. He did well with Jason Derulo‘s “Want You To Want Me,” but the soul singer’s take on The Weeknd‘s “Call Out My Name” knocked him out of his seat. He quickly earned it back the following week during the comeback episode, meaning that he and Leah will have to compete once again – but this time it’ll be for the win!
2. She’s the youngest finalist this season. While there were a few other teens like Dylan Jacob, 16, and Lil Bri, 17, who competed for a seat, 17-year-old Leah is the only one who ended up in a chair. She’ll be competing against James, 21, Whitney Reign, 25, and Sharaya J, 34.
3. She already has an album out. She put out Life W.T.R. in July 2017, which can be purchased on Amazon and iTunes. It’s also available to stream on Spotify, along with the recordings of songs she performed on The Four.
4. She had a plan going into the finale. In an interview with the Asbury Park Press, a news outlet from her home state of New Jersey, Leah said that going into the finale, she was “definitely trying to stay in my comfort zone but do my best and do what I do best.”
5. She has advice for fans. “If you have a dream you should do so right away. You never know what will happen until you try,” the singer told the Asbury Park Press. “Life will surprise you. Take that first step, believe in yourself and everybody will have no choice but you believe in yourself, too.”