It was clear pretty early on that Iam Tongi was going to do well on “American Idol.”
His audition for the reality competition show, which included an emotional performance of the James Blunt song “Monsters,” quickly went viral. His voice and vulnerability made two of the three “Idol” judges cry, and struck a chord with viewers at home. To date, the performance has 23 million views on YouTube.
Tongi ultimately became the Season 21 champion — and the first Hawaiian and Pacific Islander to win “Idol,” the Deseret News reported.
Now, fans in Utah have a chance to hear Tongi in person. The singer will perform at Granary Live in Salt Lake City on Sept. 20.
‘American Idol’ winner Iam Tongi comes to Utah
Tongi is one of four openers for the Grammy-nominated reggae band Common Kings. The all-ages Salt Lake show will also include performances from Julian Marley — son of Bob Marley — Sammy Johnson and Jakobs Castle. For more information on the show, visit granarylive.com.
A day after his Salt Lake show, Tongi is performing in Las Vegas. And then on Sept. 22, he’ll release “Why Kiki?”his newest single that pays homage to his Hawaiian roots.
In addition to being a supporting act, the 19-year-old singer is currently in the middle of his first headlining tour. That tour extends to the East Coast throughout October and November, the Deseret News reported. Tongi also has a couple of performances scheduled in New Zealand and Australia in early October.
What else has Iam Tongi been up to?
Tongi has been on the go since his “American Idol” win in May. In addition to touring and working on new music, he recorded a duet version of “Monsters” — the song that started it all — with Blunt himself.
“From covering it on tiktok 3 years ago, to singing it in my audition on @americanidol, to performing it at the Idol finale with @jamesblunt, ‘Monsters’ means so much to me,” Tongi shared on X, formerly Twitter in August.
Tongi has also been using his platform to offer support to those affected by the Maui wildfires. He recently performed a tribute on “Good Morning America” and asked fans “to do some research on the right organizations to donate to, and to also say prayers for Maui.”