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Iam Tongi

William "Iam" Guy Tongi (born September 1, 2004)[1] is a singer who won season 21 of American Idol.[2] He is the first person from Hawaii, the first Pacific Islander, and the first non-country singer in three years, to win the competition. He is also the first winner to have been born after the show's premiere on June 11, 2002.[3][4]

Iam Tongi

William Guy Tongi

(2004-09-01) September 1, 2004
Kahuku, Hawaii

Singer

  • Vocals
  • acoustic guitar
  • ukulele

2020–present

Early life and education[edit]

Tongi is originally from Kahuku, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu.[5] His family relocated to Federal Way, Washington in the summer of 2019, where he attended Federal Way High School, then later transferred and graduated from 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. 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[edit]

Audition[edit]

Tongi auditioned for Season 20 of American Idol, but failed to get past the initial screening.[8] Without telling him, his mother then signed him up for the Season 21 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 rendition of James Blunt's song "Monsters", which he dedicated to his father, earned him a standing ovation from all three judges and 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[edit]

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[edit]

During American 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 both the judges and audience in tears. Tongi himself broke down part way through the song but eventually regained his composure and finished. He told Rolling Stone,

External links[edit]

Official website