American Idol Season 21 winner Iam Tongi: 5 things to know about the singer

After a lot of drumrolls and waiting, the winner Iam Tongi of season 21 of American Idol was crowned. Iam Tongi came up trumps against competitors Megan Danielle and Colin Stough.

After the nail-biting wait, American Idol host Ryan Seacrest announced Iam Tongi as the winner, who proceeded to sing Don’t Let Go for the audience and his family.

Tongi, who stole the show at American Idol, is only 18 years old. He chose to sing his original I’ll Be Seeing You for the finale. He also did a power-packed performance of Monsters by James Blunt, which he also sang in the audition, bringing judges to tears.

The whole American Idol finale was star-studded with performances from American Idol judge Luke Bryan, Pitbull, Lil Jon, TLC, and Lucy Love. Lionel Richie and Katy Perry graced the judges' panel as usual.

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From his audition to his father: 5 cool facts about American Idol season 21 winner Iam Tongi

1) Iam Tongi hails from Hawaii but had to leave the place

Iam Tongi is Kahuku born, and he is a mix of Tongan, Samoan, and Irish descent. Kahuku is situated on the Oahu island of Hawaii, and according to Tongi, the community there was pretty close:

“We used to walk around, chasing wild chickens. You’d lose your slippers because you’d go to a family function, and someone steals your slippers. So everyone’s walking around barefoot or (wearing) one slipper and a different slipper.”

However, tragedy struck in the form of a heart attack to Ian Tongi’s father, who was rendered incapable of work. According to Iam, they were “priced out of paradise.” Their family then moved up to Federal Way, Washington. Judge Katy Perry took note of it, and in the finale, she proudly said:

“Welcome to paradise, my friend.”

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2) Iam Tongi’s father passed away months before his audition

Iam Tongi’s father holds huge importance in his life. He even credited his father for bringing him into music. He brought tears into the judges' eyes after he dedicated the song Monsters to his deceased father. Judge Lionel Richie got emotional and said to him:

"I was not worried about whether you were going to make it through the song, I was worried about whether we were going to make it through the song. Your daddy is very proud.”

Judge Katy Perry also did not hold back and said:

"What a fantastic song to pick. You're making these grown men cry."

Judge Luke Bryan ended up saying in a tearful manner:

"I cannot handle your heart breaking about your dad because my nephew lost his dad and he came to live with me and just seeing you missing your dad sucks. Gosh man, you've got a great voice. You did everything perfectly and I love you and want to see you have fun.”

Iam and his father shared a very close bond. He inspired Iam Tongi to sing, and it was hard for him to cope with his loss. According to Celebs Week's interview with his mother, Lillie N Rodney Tongi, he used to listen to tapes of him and his father singing to help him fall asleep. His audition song, Monsters, which became hugely popular, was dedicated to his father.

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3) Iam Tongi had auditioned for American Idol before

Many might think that Iam Tongi came and just won this competition in one attempt. However, that is not true. It is actually a bittersweet tale as he attempted the audition with his late father, Rodney.

They did not make it past the initial rounds. However, both Rodney and Iam had a humorous and jovial reaction to it. Later, Iam revealed that his father said:

“He was like ‘Son. I need to talk to you. You need to work on your music.’”

According to TV Insider Rodney recognized the talent of Iam and pushed him to be a better version of himself. However, when he did not qualify the first time, that did not make him disheartened. Sadly, he was not around for the second time to see his son winning the coveted competition and proving himself.

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4) Iam Tongi’s audition is the most viewed video on American Idol’s YouTube channel

At the time of writing this article, the video has garnered a whopping 16 million views on YouTube. It is a pretty huge achievement for someone as young as Tongi.

Not just that, it is trailblazing in a massive way, as the previous most-viewed audition had gathered only six million views five years ago. Needless to say, Tongi's audition is the most viewed video on the show’s YouTube platform.

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5) Iam Tongi is still in school

Tongi is currently 18 years old and a senior in high school. He studied for two years at Federal Way High School in Washington, and now he is at Decatur finishing high school. His school’s Facebook page made a post celebrating his victory, saying:

“Proud of this amazing Gator! Yitadee!!”

The live streaming of American Idol season 21 took place on May 21, 8 pm EST. Viewers enjoyed the three-hour-long live show on the ABC channel.