Jordan Smith Is Crowned The Voice's New Champion! - PEOPLE

(From left) Barrett Baber, Jeffery Austin, Emily Ann Roberts and Jordan Smith

TRAE PATTON/NBC

Jordan Smith Is Crowned The Voice's New Champion

BY NICK MASLOW

 @nickmaslow

12/15/2015 PEOPLE

Congratulations, Jordan Smith!

On Tuesday, the singer was crowned The Voice's season 9 champion. Emily Ann Roberts placed second, while Barrett Baber and Jeffery Austin rounded out the final four.

After host Carson Daly called his name, Smith, 21, was joined on stage by his coach Adam Levine and family members.

But Smith didn't have long for celebratory hugs. He soon held up the mic and burst into an emotional performance of "Climb Every Mountain." It was a short reminder why his fans – including coaches Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, and Pharrell – fell in love with him after the season debut in September. 

Building up to the final reveal on Tuesday, Smith soared alongside Usher while singing the crooner's dance hit "Without You." Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, Coldplay, Missy Elliott, and more stars also took center stage for numbers.

Smith – a Lee University college student from Harlan, Kentucky – caught the coaches' attention with his high-pitched voice by nailing Sia's "Chandelier" during blind auditions. But the highlight of his journey came on Dec. 7, when he delivered a stunning rendition of Queen's "Somebody to Love."

"I don't need to say anything at all because that's one of the best things I've ever seen in my entire life," said Levine.

His recording soon raced to the top of the iTunes chart, ending Adele's five-week reign with "Hello."

"I was actually on the red carpet doing press after the show. We were all checking the charts anyway just to see how everybody was doing," Smith told PEOPLE of discovering his achievement. "I opened my phone and saw it and I almost was moved to tears. It was so incredible!"

He struck gold again on Monday, reclaiming the No. 1 spot on iTunes with his spin on Christmas classic "Mary, Did You Know?".

The latest season of NBC's singing competition has spawned not just chart toppers, but also music's new it couple, Shelton and Stefani.

The Voice will come back for a tenth season in 2016, with Christina Aguilera returning to the lineup of coaches as Stefani takes a break to release new music.

"I don't want Gwen to not be on the show," Shelton recently told Extra of the upcoming season. "Why can't we have a fifth coach?"

Watch on PEOPLE: Jordan Smith video