LOS ANGELES — The first show to challenge “American Idol” — the surprise hit “The Voice” — picked its winner last night.
After two months of blind auditions, battle rounds and celebrity coaching, Javier Colon, a neo-soul singer from Connecticut, edged out fan favorite Dia Frampton to become the first winner of NBC’s freshman singing contest.
A margin of less than 2 percent separated the two finalists, host Carson Daly announced.
But moments after the celebration ended at Warner Bros. Studios, there was doubt about whether the show’s biggest star — pop diva Christina Aguilera — would return for Season 2.
She refused to say if she would join coaches CeeLo Green, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine when the show returns for a new season immediately following next February’s Super Bowl.
The possible departure of Aguilera — who earns a reported $200,000 per episode — was “100 percent news” to Daly.
But he immediately tried to downplay the impact. “This show is bigger than any of its coaches or the host,” he told The Post. “This show will live on in perpetuity with many a star in those chairs.”
Colon — whose roots are Dominican and Puerto Rican — hugged the runner-up and then Daly when his name was announced.
Colon, a married father of two, became an instant front-runner during the show’s first-round auditions with an acoustic version of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.”