With his heart wrenching story and amazing talent, Iam Tongi was able to impress all the judges and won American Idol’s 21st season in 2023. He sang and played in front of a sold-out crowd at BYU-Idaho on Friday.
Born in Kahuku, Hawaii, Tongi became the first Pacific Islander to win the competition. He started playing the ukulele in fifth grade and when he turned 13, his father, who has since passed away, gave him a guitar that he used in nearly all his performances on the show.
“My dad pushed me [to pursue music.] Once I told him, ‘Hey Dad, I like ukulele, I want to play ukulele,’ he pushed me,” Tongi said in an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio. “But it was good that he pushed me. It made me better, made me a better singer, made me a better performer.”
When performing in front of famous musicians such as Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, one is sure to get a bit nervous. Tongi said that whenever he started feeling anxious before a performance, he would sing songs that would bring him peace. Whether it was a gospel song or something that reminded him of his dad, it would always help calm his nerves.
“I used to play around (on set) to be honest. I used to collect honey packets and just throw it at my friends. Just for fun and then we’d laugh. Just keep it light. When you’re on (a tv show competition) it’s very stressful. Because in that moment, you’re thinking, ‘If I mess up, I don’t know what’s going to happen,’” he said. “I’d pretend like I’m not nervous, and then I’d forget that I’m nervous. Then I would just end up having fun.”
Being born in Hawaii and being from Samoan and Tongan decent, Tongi’s culture and religion heavily impact his work. He is also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so his faith often comes to play when he is writing new music and choosing what cover songs he’d like to sing. Both are important to him, and so he makes sure that he never drops his standards for his fame.
“(My faith) affects me, my religion, standard-wise right, I don’t sing songs about certain things,” Tongi said. “Like alcohol, if a song has alcohol, I’ll take it out. It’s a big part of my life, my faith.”
After winning the competition last year, Tongi signed onto the show’s label, Hollywood Records. He has since released a few original songs but said that he has many more that are being recorded and prepped for their release. He spends every free moment writing new songs and is excited for people to hear them for the very first time.
“I have very big emotional swells, so when I’m feeling really sad, I write a song. When I’m feeling really happy, I write a song,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what time of the day it is. It doesn’t matter if it’s three o’clock in the morning. I get up and write a song or start a song.”
If you are interested in hearing some of his covers and original songs, Iam Tongi is available on any music streaming app. You can also listen to the full interview on BYU-Idaho Radio, which is also available on any podcast app.