Tate Stevens Talks 'X Factor' Win - Exclusive Interview!

Tate Stevens pulled out a victory during the X Factor Season 2 Finale on Thursday (December 18), surprising some who thought 13-year-old Carly Rose Sonenclar was the clear front runner.

JustJared.com sat down with the 37-year-old country singer to chat about his big win, his holiday plans, and his upcoming debut album. Check it out:

Just Jared: Congrats! What a crazy night! How did you feel waking up this morning after your win?

Tate Stevens: I’m still really overwhelmed by the whole thing. I got a few hours of sleep, but it’s just overwhelming. It’s still very surreal.

JJ: It was basically you and Carly Rose battling for that No. 1 spot all season. How confident were you going into the finale?

TS: I was confident, and you want to be confident and stay confident, but then the realistic part of it sets in – what did America think? I was confident, but in the same brass, you just never know. I was very nervous, especially when they actually announced the winner. That long pause was ridiculous. I wanted to throw up (laughs).

Click inside to read the rest of the Tate Stevens interview…

JJ: We saw you get quite emotional a few times, especially seeing your hometown and your son talking about you. Was it hard to keep your composure?

TS: Definitely. You know, I’m an emotional guy. I wear my heart on my sleeve. That’s just who I am. But it was definitely hard, especially when he started crying then I was like, “Oh man…”

JJ: How has your family been through this whole experience?

TS: They’re doing great, they really are. They are excited, but they’re overwhelmed as well. It’s just crazy. Our lives changed last night. Now we just gotta try to settle in and get to work.

JJ: Other than winning, what was your favorite moment of the season?

TS: There’s a lot. Honestly, my favorite moments were Wednesday nights when we got to perform. Simon had said some really kind words throughout the season and one of them was, “You’re an honest, good man and you deserve what this can do for you. You deserve a chance.” That was pretty awesome.

JJ: He called you the next Garth Brooks. What do you think about that?

TS: You know what, that’s never going to happen (laughs), but if I’m a third as fortunate as him, that would be amazing.

JJ: You got to meet some pretty big names. Were you star-struck by anyone in particular?

TS: Nah, not really. They’re just people and they just have awesome jobs, you know what I mean? That’s how I looked at them. I will say Simon, L.A. Reid… those guys. Because they’re powerful. They can move mountains. They make things happen. That’s a little intimidating at first, but once you get to know them and once you get to see that they’re just normal people, then things are different. It was awesome. It was awesome meeting Little Big Town, One Direction and all that stuff, but they’re people.

JJ: It’s no secret L.A. wasn’t very happy about getting the over-25′s, but now you have him rocking a cowboy hat. How has your relationship grown over the course of the season?

TS: From the beginning, L.A. has been a great guy. He’s a great man. I kind of got on him a little bit [about it] and he was like, “I just wanted to work with some girls.” He had a group full of guys and one girl, and he just wanted to work with the young girls because that’s what he does. He was like, “I wanted my shot at making a young girl something.” But he said, “Once I realized what I had in my group, I was more than happy to have our group.” And he got a win. He went out with a bang.

JJ: So what happens now? What are you most looking forward to now that you have a $5 million dollar recording contract?

TS: Basically, I’m flying home tonight and I’m going to spend the holidays with my kids and wife. On January 2, I’m in Nashville and we’re starting on my record.

JJ: Who is someone you’d love to work with on your album?

TS: Honestly, there’s a bunch of people who hopefully in the future I’ll get to work with. You have the Martina McBride’s and the Reba McEntire’s, those people of the world. Even doing some cool collaborations with the Jason Aldean’s and the Brad Paisley’s and those kind of guys, it would be a lot of fun I think.

JJ: Anything you’d like to say to your fans?

TS: I don’t know how you thank them enough, really. They changed my life and they changed my family’s life.