Who Is Iam Tongi? His Audition Broke Us

Among the tens of thousands of people who audition for American Idol each season, a few always stand out. Sometimes these folks are recognized for their beyond-cringy, antic-filled performances (I’m looking at you, William Hung). And other times these folks exhibit cherubic vocals and/or have a heartwrenching story that leaves the judges and viewers at home in stitches.

During the Season 21 premiere, we met Iam Tongi, who definitely falls into the latter category. The 18-year-old high school student blew judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan away with his emotional, tearjerking performance. But it was more than his top-tier sound that made his audition a knockout. Keep scrolling for the full story behind Iam’s performance.

With a guitar by his side, Iam enters the audition room and makes small talk with Lionel, Katy, and Luke. He explains that he grew up in Hawaii, but his mom’s family relocated to Seattle three years ago. When asked about his dad, Rodney, Iam shares the sad news that his father — who taught him everything he knows about music — passed away a few months ago.

For his audition song, Iam chose to sing “Monsters” by James Blunt, which the English singer-songwriter released in 2019 as a tribute to his father, Charles, who has Stage 4 kidney disease.

To say Iam nailed “Monsters” would be an understatement. There was not a dry eye in the room. “I was not worried about whether you were going to make it through it the song, but whether we were going to make it through,” teased Lionel after wiping tears away.

The star-studded trio had nothing but praise for Iam. “Your voice is just so magnificent,” said Katy. “You just did everything perfectly and I love you and I just want to see you have fun in this whole thing man,” added Luke.

Clutching his well-deserved golden ticket to Hollywood, Iam gleefully exited the audition room, explaining in a voiceover that his dad always wanted him to audition for Idol. “Love you dad,” he said into the cameras.