'American Idol' Winner Just Sam Reveals the Advice Katy Perry Gave Her That She Lives By Now

Former subway singer Just Sam won the third season of ABC’s American Idol this weekend and she’s opening up about her big win!

The 20-year-old New York native told Billboard that she didn’t expect to win the season.

“I was kind of setting myself up to just congratulate my friends, because I feel like nobody’s more deserving than the other, but they all have worked so hard,” she said. “I was ready to congratulate them. I didn’t expect to even make it this far, so I definitely didn’t expect to win.”

Sam also opened up about the advice she received from the judges, including Katy Perry.

“All of them have said things to me that I am going to hold on to for the rest of my life and probably give the same advice to my children someday. When Katy told me to remember where I came from and sing to where I want to go, that stuck with me throughout this entire competition,” Sam said. “It’s something I had to say to myself before I walked on stage in Hawaii. I had to tell that to myself before performing in front of an iPhone. That has really has stuck with me and I think about it every day: Sing to where you want to go, Sam.”

Read about the big controversy from the finale of Idol.