Who is Iam Tongi, winner of 'American Idol 21'
Singing reality show American Idol has a new winner! Eighteen-year-old Iam Tongi, a Hawaii resident, has been crowned the champion of the 21st season of American Idol. Megan Danielle, a 20-year-old artist from Georgia came in second place. A favorite of judges and viewers right from the beginning, Tongi is a gifted artist whose popularity has grown exponentially during the course of American Idol.
The singer got into music due to his late father
Per Hollywood Life, Tongi belongs to Kahuka, Hawaii, located on the island of Oahu. When Tongi auditioned, he performed James Blunt's Monsters and told the judges that he entered music industry because of his father, who tragically passed away a few months before. Tongi later posted a photo from his father's graveside, saying that he wish he were alive to see his "golden ticket."
Tongi is still in high school!
Tongi has won viewers' hearts because he has been focused on his singing career while also managing his education simultaneously! He is a high school senior and goes to Decatur High School, located in Federal Way, Washington. Sometime ago, the school shared his audition on Facebook and wrote, "Proud of this amazing Gator! Yitadee!!" The audition has been viewed over 16M times on YouTube.
His newest song was released recently on YouTube
Some of his most memorable performances on American Idol include Cat Steven's Father and Son, Sam Cooke's Bring it On Home to Me, and Simon and Garfunkel's Sound of Silence. In fact, in a nice touch of nostalgia, he performed Monsters alongside Blunt during the finale. His newest single I'll Be Seeing You was released just three days ago and honors his father.
Now, Tongi wants to focus on concerts
Speaking about his future, Tongi said post his crowning moment, "For sure, I'm going to be doing live shows, concerts and stuff because I love live. I'm going to have fun doing it." Moreover, singer and American Idol's judge Katy Perry expressed her joy over his victory, "I see absolutely authentic talent, a massive heart and I see someone who is born for this."
