What did Melanie Amaro say after her 'X Factor' win?

Melanie Amaro poses after winning 'The X Factor' on Thursday in L.A.

That Melanie Amaro had an emotional reaction to her X Factor triumph Thursday would be an understatement.

After winning the contest's $5 million recording deal, the 19-year-old, Coral Springs, Fla., resident was almost literally speechless when host Steve Jones asked her numerous times on stage for her reaction. Shortly after that, she got lost in the lyrics of her victory song, Listen.

"My mind went blank. I was so overwhelmed. I couldn't even think. All I was saying was, 'You just won. Can you believe that? You just won?' And I've sung Listen so many times and my mind went blank. I could not remember the words," Amaro told USA TODAY after the show ended.

She said the victory still had not sunk in, more than an hour after the show.

"I'm still feeling as though I'm in a dream. And I still need to wake up," she said, pinching her arm. "It still has not hit me."

That said, it must have been a pretty good dream.

"I feel amazing," Amaro said. "I feel as though my whole life has just transformed right in front of me. And I've worked so hard. So, to be where I came from, to be in this position now, I feel amazing. And I'm so thankful. And I thank the fans who have put me in this position, all the supporters, the public in general, who have supported me the entire time. I thank you guys so much."

Amaro's win is especially dramatic, because at one point she had been eliminated by her mentor, Simon Cowell, who said he realized his mistake and then asked her to rejoin the competition. They acknowledged that on stage after Jones announced Amaro's victory over runner-up Josh Krajcik.

"What (Cowell) said to me on stage was just like, 'Thank you so much for coming back. Thank God I came and got you back.' Wow! That's all I've been wanting to hear from Simon. That's Simon. I was looking for approval from him for so long," she said.

Amaro was non-committal when asked what she plans to do with her winnings. "We'll see what happens. That's all I can say. I'm just so thankful. I'm so thankful. Whatever happens, happens."