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Revision as of 03:59, 28 June 2023
Iam Tongi | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | William Guy Tongi |
| Born | September 1, 2004 Kahuku, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 2020–present |
William "Iam" Guy Tongi (born September 1, 2004)[1] is an American singer who won season 21 of American Idol.[2] He is the first Hawaii-born Pacific Islander, as well as the first non-country singer in three years, to win the competition.[3][4]
Early life and education
Tongi is originally from Kahuku, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu.[5] His family relocated to Federal Way, Washington in 2020, where he attended Decatur High School.[4] He is of Tongan,[6] Samoan and Irish descent.[4] Tongi is also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[7]
The youngest of five children, Tongi learned to play the ukulele in fifth grade, as well as the piano. When he was 13, his father gifted him a guitar that he had bought with his holiday paycheck. Tongi would go on to use the guitar in nearly all of his performances on American Idol.[8]
American Idol
Audition
Tongi auditioned for American Idol's 2022 season, but failed to get past the initial screening.[8] Without telling him, his mom then signed him up for the 2023 season auditions. Tongi, however, was reluctant to audition again, saying he had a bad attitude from the previous rejection and that he did not expect to advance beyond the audition round. This time, however, he was able to appear in front of Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan, the show's judges.[9]
During the audition, Tongi talked about having to move to Washington because he was "priced out of paradise". When asked about his father, Tongi became teary-eyed, explaining that Rodney, his dad, had passed away a few months before the audition, and that Rodney was the one who got him into music.[10] Tongi had not originally planned to talk about his dad because he did not want his journey to be seen as a sob story.[11]
Tongi's audition, a deeply touching rendition of James Blunt's song "Monsters", which he dedicated to his dad, brought all three judges to tears and earned him a unanimous vote to the next round.[12][13] The audition video quickly went viral, drawing 112,000 Instagram followers in the two days after Tongi's performance. Tongi's audition also became Idol's most-watched audition video on the show's YouTube channel, generating over 16 million views in three months.[10][11]
Hollywood Week
Tongi’s greatest challenge on American Idol came during Hollywood Week, when his guitar broke and he lost his voice. When Tongi appeared before the judges, he started crying, explaining that he had promised his dad he would use the guitar on every performance.[14] Tongi later said he felt like it was a way of his dad telling him he could do it on his own, and he would appear in later rounds without his guitar.[9]
Duet with James Blunt
During Idol's season finale, Tongi teamed up with James Blunt to deliver an emotionally charged duet of Blunt's song "Monsters", the same song Tongi had used for his audition. The performance left the judges and audience in tears. Tongi himself broke down part way through the song but eventually regained his composure and finished. He later said,
"My dad always told me that I'm gonna make it one day and that he probably wouldn't be around to see me be successful. When I was on stage, I was crying because I was thinking about when he said that to me. He was hoping this for me since the beginning."[15]
Controversy
Tongi's win left Idol fans divided, with some praising him while others criticized the show, saying he won on sympathy alone.[16] Runner-up Megan Danielle defended Tongi, saying, "Iam was deserving and he's so humble and so talented."[17] Tongi meanwhile said he approached the announcement of the winner with an open mind: "I didn't expect to make it this far. No matter [who won], I was going to be happy."[9]
Legacy
Tongi's song choices during the competition included a cover of Hawaiian reggae group Kolohe Kai's song "Cool Down", which he performed during the finale. Hawaii recording artists and producers alike praised Tongi for bringing island music to a national stage. Roman De Peralta, Kolohe Kai's frontman, said:
"[The American Idol audience is] a demographic that we don't really get to share our culture, our island vibes with. I feel like [Tongi's song choices] really paved a beautiful way for us as artists to be in front of people we really never got to."[18]
Native Hawaiian recording artist Kimie Miner added:
"We don't see a lot of people like us being marketed in mainstream music. So what Iam was able to do by being on [American Idol] and having this platform is he showed everybody that there's a big desire for the kind of music we have here. It showed the world how AAPI artists are equally competitive in this music industry while we're still being true to our culture, representing our island life, heritage, and 'ohana."[19]
Tongi said he was grateful to be able to showcase the genre to Idol viewers: "I wanted to represent the islands, and represent where I'm from, people in Hawaii... I just wanted to put island music on the map because island music is so beautiful, but a lot of people don't really know about it, only islanders."[19][20]
Career
Before appearing on American Idol, Tongi released a single, "Dreams", which he wrote for his sister's wedding in 2020. Other pre-Idol singles included a cover of ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All" and another original single, "Gone".[21]
A few days prior to Idol's season finale, Tongi released the single "I'll Be Seeing You".[22] The song reached No. 3 on Billboard's Digital Song Sales and No. 1 on Rock Digital Song Sales, from 11,000 downloads.[23]
Discography
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Digital [23] |
US Rock [23] |
US Rock Digital [23] | |||
| "I'll Be Seeing You" | 2023 | 3 | 19 | 1 |
|
| "The Winner Takes It All" | — | — | 19 |
| |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
References
- ^ "American Idol: Who Is Iam Tongi? Where Does Iam Tongi Live Now?". AverageBeing. 23 May 2023. Archived from the original on 24 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ Lee, Diane S. W. (May 21, 2023). "Kahuku-born Iam Tongi crowned American Idol winner". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
- ^ Chery, Samantha (March 23, 2023). "Genre-bending high schooler from Hawaii makes 'American Idol' history". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b c "Who is Iam Tongi? 5 facts about the Season 21 'American Idol' winner". The Enquirer. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
- ^ "'American Idol' Winner Iam Tongi Jokes His Family Keeps Him Humble: 'They Don't Only Cheer for Me'". People. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
- ^ "Iam Tongi named New American Idol Champion". Matangi Tonga. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 24 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ "His 'American Idol' audition went viral. Now, this teen is the Season 21 winner". Deseret News. 21 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=requires|archive-url=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Bronson, Fred (2023-04-30). "Meet 2023's American Idol Top 10 Contestants". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2023-05-08. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
- ^ a b c Houghton, Cillea. "American Idol Winner Iam Tongi Opens Up About His Father's Impact and Wanting to "Represent My People" in Music". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ^ a b Sienra, Regina (2023-05-23). "Iam Tongi Wins American Idol Following an Emotional Duet of "Monsters" With James Blunt". biography.com. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Piccotti, Tyler (2023-05-22). "How Iam Tongi's Late Father Influenced the American Idol Winner During the Competition". biography.com. Archived from the original on 2023-05-23. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
- ^ Fishman, Scott (2023-05-22). "American Idol Winner Iam Tongi Speaks Out on His Journey & Honoring His Late Dad". TV Insider. Archived from the original on 2023-05-22. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
- ^ Houghton, Cillea. "Iam Tongi Hits a Nerve with American Idol Audition Dedicated to His Late Father". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
- ^ "Iam Tongi, 18, credits his mom and late dad for his American Idol win". npr.org. 2023-05-25. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ^ Mier, Tomás (2023-05-23). "American Idol Winner Iam Tongi on How He Brought the Judges to Tears". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
- ^ Hobbs, Jack (2023-05-22). "American Idol fans claim competition 'rigged' as Iam Tongi named winner". New York Post. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ^ Barbuti, Angela (2023-05-27). "American Idol runner-up Megan Danielle breaks silence on claims show was 'rigged' for Iam Tongi". New York Post.
- ^ Tamashiro, Kristy (2003-05-22). "Iam Tongi puts island music on the map with 'American Idol' win". khon2.com. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
- ^ a b Ordonio, Cassie (2023-05-31). "Here's what Iam Tongi's win means for Pacific Islander musicians". hawaiipublicradio.org. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
- ^ Kaholokula, Lei U'i (2023-05-25). "Iam Tongi reflects on his American Idol journey -- and his music career dreams". kitv.com. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
- ^ "Iam Tongi Soars to Number One With His New Song". 2023-05-23. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ Goldstein, Tiffany (2023-05-22). "'American Idol' Winner Iam Tongi, James Blunt Deliver Tearful "Monsters" Duet". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
- ^ a b c d e f Zellner, Xander (May 31, 2023). "10 First-Timers on Billboard's Charts This Week: Ella Langley, Iam Tongi, Megan Danielle & More". Billboard.