Where is ‘American Idol’ winner Iam Tongi now?
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After his “American Idol” win, Iam Tongi is continuing to find success in the music industry.
Here’s a look at what the 19-year-old singer has been up to since being declared the Season 21 champion.
Where is Iam Tongi now?
Tongi is returning to the “American Idol” stage to perform during the top 24 round of Season 22, which airs April 7 and 8 at 7 p.m. MDT. According to a sneak preview provided by “Idol,” Tongi will perform his original single “Why Kiki?” on Sunday night. Tongi released the song last fall, and it has more than 4 million views on YouTube.
“It’s very important to me to represent where I’m from. That is what this song does,” Tongi recently told TV Insider. “I wanted to represent where I was born and pay homage to my home. It’s a fun little song. It’s so catchy. Just an upbeat song.”
His “Idol” return comes as he recently kicked off his 2024 tour — which includes a stop at the Washington County Fair in Hurricane, Utah, on April 18 — and a little over a year since his audition for the reality competition show.
His performance of the James Blunt song “Monsters” was the most viewed “Idol” audition of Season 21 — by a landslide. To date, it has 26 million views on YouTube.
Last August, Tongi celebrated a full-circle moment by recording a duet version of the song with Blunt, Country Now reported.
From covering it on tiktok 3 years ago, to singing it in my audition on @americanidol, to performing it at the Idol finale with @jamesblunt, "Monsters" means so much to me. I’m so excited to announce that James & I will be releasing an official duet of “Monsters” on 08.25 🤙🏾 pic.twitter.com/h1PMeNgJ84
— Iam Tongi (@wtongi) August 16, 2023
“From covering it on tiktok 3 years ago, to singing it in my audition on @americanidol, to performing it at the Idol finale with @jamesblunt, ‘Monsters’ means so much to me,” Tongi shared on X, formerly Twitter. “I’m so excited to announce that James & I will be releasing an official duet of ‘Monsters.’”
The first Hawaiian and Pacific Islander to win “Idol,” Tongi also used his platform to offer support to those affected by the Maui wildfires. Last fall, he performed a tribute on “Good Morning America” and asked fans “to do some research on the right organizations to donate to, and to also say prayers for Maui.”
Tongi embarked on his first tour last fall. A couple of months later he released his first holiday EP, “An Iam Tongi Christmas,” which features his covers of “White Christmas,” “The Christmas Song” and “Mele Kalikimaka.” His latest release is the EP “If I Could Only Fly,” which includes covers of the title song by Blaze Foley, and Garth Brooks’ “The Dance,” among others.
Iam Tongi on his Latter-day Saint faith
During his time on “Idol,” Tongi, who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shared his faith on social media. At one point during the competition, he shared a video with a few other “Idol” contestants in a hotel room, singing the Latter-day Saint hymn “I Need Thee Every Hour.”
Tongi has been especially vocal about his faith since winning “American Idol.”
“Recently, a friend asked me about my faith. At first, it seemed like he was trying to make me feel dumb for believing what I do, but as I was willing to talk with him and share my feelings, I learned he was genuinely curious. We began to have an actual conversation,” Tongi shared in a June 11 social media post for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, just a few weeks after winning “Idol.” “As I answered his questions, he would ask something else, and it gave me the chance to speak up and share from a sincere place. If I didn’t know the answer, I would tell him, ‘I don’t know that yet.’ And he was fine hearing that because he knew I was trying.
“I thank my mom for teaching me to have courage,” he continued. “She has always pushed me to share what I believe. My faith in God and Jesus Christ is a part of my story. Their story is my story.
“I was born and raised in Kahuku, Oahu. My dad was a tough, hardworking guy; he always worked hard to pay for a roof...
Posted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday, June 11, 2023
A look back at Iam Tongi’s run on ‘American Idol’
For his “Idol” audition, Tongi, then 18, performed “Monsters” and dedicated the performance to his father, who died a couple of months before the audition, the Deseret News reported.
With emotion, Tongi told the “Idol” judges that his father was the reason he got into music. He carried his emotion into his performance and had judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan crying with his rendition of the song.
I’m not your son, you’re not my father
We’re just two grown men saying goodbye
No need to forgive, no need to forget
I know your mistakes and you know mine
And while you’re sleeping, I’ll try to make you proud
So, daddy, won’t you just close your eyes?
Don’t be afraid, it’s my turn to chase the monsters away
Tongi choked up as he reached his last note — but he had already convinced the judges that he would be a strong contender in the “Idol” competition, per the Deseret News. His rendition of “Monsters” led to the song rising to the top of the iTunes charts, according to The Kent Reporter.
“You hit a nerve, and that’s what great storytellers do,” Katy Perry said. “That’s what great artists do, and your voice is just so magnificent.”
“I cannot handle your heart breaking about your dad,” Bryan added. “Just seeing you missing your dad just sucks. Gosh, man, you just got a great voice. ... You just did everything perfect, and I love you.”
“You take this into the world and you’re going to fracture some souls,” Richie said.
Below are some of Tongi’s performances during his “Idol” run.
