"American Idol's" Scott MacIntyre is Engaged and a Look Back at His Remarkable Journey

MacIntyre finished 8th in season eight of "American Idol" and was an inspiration to many. Being visually impaired never held him back on the show. He admits his "lack of vision" made him "more drawn to sound" during an interview with People magazine. The singer is not completely blind but does suffer from tunnel vision and has just two-percent field vision due to Leber's congenital amaurosis.

Last March his new album Heatstrings was available on iTunes. The singer admits to pouring himself into every song, delivering honest lyrics, and staying true to himself in the eleven track album. But many fans know this wasn't his first album. He has released two classical, four pop, and two compilation albums to date.

His first album, Brothers for all Seasons, was released in 1999. Before his "Idol" fame he'd already released five of the eight albums.

MacIntyre was born in Redondo Beach, California and he has a younger sister named Katelyn. His story is quiet remarkable: he learned to play piano by age three and by age six he had already began classical music training.

He then studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada. After this move his family relocated to Arizona where he studied under a professor from Arizona State University. Although he was home-schooled until he was 14 he was accepted into Barrett Honors College and Herberger College of Arts.

Being home schooled certainly didn't hold him back. Nor did his sight limitations or kidney disease. It is part of fans love for him- he is a survivor. He really is an exceptional guy who has overcome so much, yet when you see him he is still overcoming and still happy. Now that is someone that fans can be inspired by.

By 2005, he had won a young artists competition for his vocals, played a solo with the Phoenix Symphony, and graduated from ASU. In 2006, he was a scholarship winner receiving the Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic scholarship from the White House. He went on to gain a masters degree and study music.

He then became the first visually impaired contestant on "American Idol." On the show he covered songs by Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Daughtry, Survivor, and Martina McBride. He also went on tour for American Idols LIVE! Tour 2009, the concert featured the top 10 finalists.

And to top it all off - now he is engaged! Best wishes go out to Scott MacIntyre, though I have a feeling he won't be needing the good luck.

Find out more about the singer via his official website.