NYC Finalists Telemundo’s ‘New Voice Of America’.

Against a pool of thousands of auditioners, intense trainings and fierce competition between the 20 contestants during 15 weeks, Gio Williams from the Bronx, New York, defeated all odds and took the title of the New Voice of America, announced last Sunday night on Telemundo’s music reality show “Nuevas Voces de America.”

The thirty-two-year-old Dominican-born singer, who became well known for his laid-back look and ever-present guitar, quickly became a crowd favorite. Gio’s distinctive voice won him the majority of viewers’ votes, and the grand prize featuring a recording contract with Universal Music Latino worth $250,000. Oscar Rivera of Puerto Rico and Gerardo Arturo Lopez of Eagle Pass, Texas, took second and third place accordingly.

“I feel elated, because this dream became a reality. I thank God for the talent that He gave me; my family for always supporting me; Mr. Emilio for the opportunity of a lifetime and the fans that were there for me from beginning to end,” said Williams, who plays several instruments and writes his own lyrics.

“Gio’s achievement gives me great happiness; he’s a very talented young man who showed us that he’s not only a great musician, composer and singer, but also a magnificent human being. The music industry is waiting for him,” said Executive Producer of Nuevas Voces de America, and Latin music mogul Emilio Estefan, who has helped launch the careers of many Latin mega stars like Thalia, Ricky Martin, Shakira, Marc Anthony and Gloria Estefan.

Close to 400,000 Telemundo viewers from all over the nation voted to elect the winner between the three finalists, with Williams taking almost half of the votes. “We are very pleased and proud with producer Emilio Estefan and his team’s outstanding work in Nuevas Voces de America,” said Ramon Escobar, Executive Vice President of Programming and Production for Telemundo. “We are also grateful to our viewers who supported the show and voted every week to choose the new voice of America, giving such a wonderful opportunity to a talented and well-deserving artist like Gio.”