He did it, y'all! Iam Tongi is the newest American Idol winner!!!
The 18-year-old first captured hearts around the world with his audition. Of Tongan, Samoan, and Irish descent, he shared that he was born and raised in Hawai'i but was "priced out of paradise" and living in Seattle. He dedicated the song "Monsters" by James Blunt to his father, Rodney, who passed away just months before. By the end, he had the judges in tears (along with the rest of us!).
Throughout the season, he gave incredible performances. I especially loved it last night when he sang "Cool Down" by Kolohe Kai. So cool that he brought some Hawaiian reggae to the Idol stage!
His journey came full circle when he sang a duet of "Monsters" with James Blunt himself! Iam broke down in tears several times during the performance, and you could just feel the emotion pouring out of him.
Hearing his name announced as the Season 21 winner had me jumping up and down and screaming in my living room. The first Pacific Islander Idol winner!!! Our people are so creative and talented, and it makes me so happy that folks are starting to realize it. And Iam seems like such a humble and deserving guy — I can't wait to see what he does next!
Naturally, Pacific Islanders have been celebrating all across social media. Singer Dinah Jane congratulated Iam and said he'd made all of us proud:
IAM TONGI 🇹🇴 CONGRATULATIONS FAM!!! 🥹😭 made all of us polys proud!
Others hoped that Iam would no longer be priced out of paradise:
This person appreciated that Iam was showcasing island music:
I think the thing i like more about Iam Tongi winning American Idol is man was really out here just jamming Island Jams instead of singing the usual Mainstream stuff lol Ouua the man 💯
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