It only took one performance on “American Idol” for Iam Tongi to become a star.
The then-18-year-old singer from Hawaii had “Idol” judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan in tears with his rendition of James Blunt’s “Monsters,” a performance dedicated to his father, Rodney Tongi, who died not long before the audition.
Tongi’s emotional delivery of that song quickly went viral and became one of the most-viewed auditions in the show’s history — to date, it has more than 50 million views on the “Idol” YouTube channel alone.
After that audition, to his genuine surprise, Tongi continued to advance each week in the competition. He performed song after song, keeping up with a rigorous filming and rehearsal schedule that continued all the way through to the finale, where he was ultimately declared the Season 21 winner.
But amid his busy “Idol” schedule, Tongi continued to sing behind the scenes.
At one point during his “Idol” run, he shared a video that showed him with some of his fellow contestants in a hotel room singing the hymn “I Need Thee Every Hour.”
Tongi, who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, would also share general conference talks online. And thanks to some gentle nudging from his mom, he also made it a point to read his scriptures regularly throughout the busy filming schedule for “Idol.”
Being open about his faith, he said, came with a cost — “I remember losing a lot of followers at the time,” he told the Deseret News during a recent interview.
But Tongi’s faith is a part of who he is, he said, and he didn’t want to subdue it — especially during an intense and sometimes stressful situation like competing on “Idol.”
”I made sure everybody knows," he said. “I’ve always just been me. I never try to be something I’m not. So I’m not gonna hide my thing. ... I just love being a part of the church.”
Now, three years after his “Idol” win, Tongi is continuing to share his faith. This past Friday and Saturday, he performed gospel music for thousands of people at the Utah Area YSA Conference — including singing his mom’s favorite hymn that he had learned just the day before.
‘I can kind of, sort of, sing’: Iam Tongi shares faith through music
“I’m not really good with words, but I can kind of, sort of, sing,” Tongi said with an understated tone during his Saturday night concert at the Salt Palace Convention Center.
So the 21-year-old singer let his music do most of the talking. During a 75-minute set, he shared his testimony through gospel songs — including his favorite, Jeff Goodrich’s “Oh Lord, My Redeemer” — and showed off his original music with “Why Kiki” and “Good For My Soul” (which the artist, who is getting married in three weeks, wrote for his fiancee).
He also sang island classics like “Fish and Poi,” and played a few songs from his time on “Idol” — including Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home,” Lionel Richie’s “Stuck On You,” and, of course, the song that started it all for him: “Monsters.”
Since winning “Idol,” Tongi’s high-profile projects have included recording a song for the “Lilo and Stitch” live-action film and writing a song with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for a “Moana”-inspired album. Amid his stardom, Tongi has credited his tight-knit family with keeping him grounded.
While performing Saturday night, he had a massive crew of support, including from his mom and his fiancee.
At one point during the show, Tongi said his mom had been encouraging him for a while to learn her favorite hymn, “Consider the Lilies.” He revealed that he had finally learned it — the day before the concert.
Backed by a fairly stripped-down accompaniment, Tongi’s voice rang clear throughout the large hall as he performed the song — with his mom beaming (and recording it) from the audience.
Tongi also performed Nela Otuafi’s “How Can I Be?”— the first gospel song he ever learned on the ukulele — and The Tonga Sisters’ “Courage,” which was his late aunt’s favorite gospel song. His aunt could hardly move or talk near the end of her life, Tongi said. But every time he sang “Courage,” she would still sing along.
It was clear on “Idol,” and clear Saturday night, that the love and support of Tongi’s family has been pivotal to his success.
For the singer — who said he was never very good at school or sports growing up — music has always been a source of comfort. But it was his family who helped him realize there was real talent in what he was doing. His dad would always tell him music is how he would make it in life.
“He’s my dad, he’s supposed to tell me I’m talented when I’m not, so I was kind of like not really believing him,” Tongi told the Deseret News.
“But hey, he told me that I’m gonna win ‘American Idol’ one day, and I did.”