William "Iam" Guy Tongi was born on September 1,2004 and is an American singer who won season 21 of American Idol.
22 Facts About Iam Tongi
1.
2.
Iam Tongi is the first person from Hawaii, the first Pacific Islander, and the first non-country genre singer in three years, to win the competition.
3.
Iam Tongi is the first winner to have been born after the show's premiere on June 11,2002.
4.
Iam Tongi's family relocated to Federal Way, Washington in the summer of 2019, where he attended Federal Way High School.
5.
Iam Tongi is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
6.
The youngest of five children, Iam Tongi learned to play the ukulele in fifth grade.
7.
Iam Tongi would go on to use the guitar in nearly all of his performances on American Idol.
8.
Iam Tongi auditioned for Season 20 of American Idol, but failed to get past the initial screening.
9.
Iam Tongi was reluctant to audition again, however he was able to appear in front of judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan.
10.
Iam 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.
Iam Tongi later said he felt like it was a way of his dad telling him he could do it on his own, and he appeared in later rounds without his guitar.
12.
Iam Tongi himself broke down part way through the song but eventually regained his composure and finished.
13.
Iam Tongi was hoping this for me since the beginning.
14.
Iam Tongi's win left Idol fans divided, with some praising him while others criticized the show, saying he won on sympathy alone.
15.
Hawaii recording artists and producers alike praised Iam Tongi for bringing island music to a national stage.
16.
So, what Iam Tongi 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.
17.
Iam Tongi said he was grateful to be able to showcase the genre to Idol viewers:.
18.
Iam Tongi said he hopes his journey encourages other Polynesians to pursue careers in music:.
19.
Iam Tongi credits Hawaii-born singer Jack Johnson for mentoring him and helping him navigate the music industry.
20.
Shortly after winning Idol, Iam Tongi embarked on a tour that saw him reunite with fellow contestant Oliver Steele, who finished in the Top 8 and with whom Iam Tongi formed a special bond during the competition.
21.
On July 10,2023, Iam Tongi sang the national anthem at the 2023 Home Run Derby, but forgot to remove the baseball cap he was wearing before he sang.
22.
Iam Tongi apologized on social media, attributing the faux pas to being nervous performing in front of such a large crowd.