Leon James "Lee" DeWyze (born April 2, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter and musician from Mount Prospect, Illinois, and is the winner of the ninth season of American Idol. He has released two independent albums, So I'm Told (2007) and Slumberland (2010). He released "Live it Up" in late 2010. Lee Dewyze attended an alternative high school but states that music and his teachers were his inspiration to go back to his studies. Before Idol, DeWyze worked as a paint salesclerk. His musical influences include Cat Stevens, Eric Clapton, Ben Harper, and Simon & Garfunkel.