Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — American Idol season 21 has produced a new, up and coming Pasifika artist on the rise, and his name is Iam Tongi. Iam Tongi first rose to fame and prominence after appearing in the auditions of the American Idol’s season 21 and left the judges enthralled by his talent for singing.

This year, numerous talented singers came in auditions and some of them gave standout performances during the auditions, with one of them being Iam Tongi.

After his audition performance, in which he performed a powerful rendition of the song Monster by James Blunt, he left the judges stunned and in tears to which one of the judges, Katy Perry, stated that it was “a fantastic song to pick”.

He also delivered a powerful performance of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sounds of Silence” earning him a spot in the Top 26, and during the latest episode of American Idol that aired Sunday, April 30th, 2023, Iam has advanced onto the top 10.

Which begs the question, who is Iam Tongi? Tongi, who is of Samoan, Tongan, and Irish descent, grew up in Kahuku, Hawaii before moving to Seattle. Tongi grew up in Hawaii alongside his siblings, friends and extended family.

When asked by judge Lionel Richie on why he left Hawaii, Tongi responded that he was “priced out of paradise”.

Tongi’s family couldn’t afford the high cost of living in Hawaii after his father suffered a heart attack, rendering him unable to work, and he found beauty in Washington but struggled to adapt to its weather and in-doorsy nature. However, he concedes that moving to Seattle exposed him to many opportunities.

Now that he has made it to the Top 10, Tongi has been lighting it up through the competition, earning hugs and tears from the judges, and cheers from millions more watching from home.

The high school student from Kahuku, Hawaii performed an emotional rendition of Sam Cooke’s R&B classic “Bring It On Home To Me” on Sunday's episode of American Idol and prompted all three judges — Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan — to give him a standing ovation.

Tongi performed without his acoustic guitar for the first time, opting instead to belt out the song’s lovelorn lyrics to sound like a seasoned soul singer two or three times his age.

His talent is obvious when he’s at the mic with Judge Katy Perry quipping that they were all watching the Iam Tongi Show, and not American Idol. And that might be the case, though he hasn’t scaled the summit just yet.

The April 30th episode found the show’s Top 12 contestants performing iconic songs by members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and were mentored by former American Idol runner up, Adam Lambert.

Next episode of American Idol will air on Sunday, May 7, 2023 and we will get to see if Iam Tongi will make it onto the next round of the competition.