Iam Tongi of Hawaii won the American Idol 2023. Megan Danielle and Colin Stough came second and third respectively.
The final on Sunday was a three-hour episode. It featured several celebrities performing. Some of the popular ones on the line-up were Ellie Goulding, James Blunt, Jazmine Sullivan, Jelly Roll, Kevin Cronin, Kylie Minogue, Lainey Wilson, Lauren Daigle, Pitbull and TLC. Judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie sang some of their fan-favorite numbers along with former Idol stars Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard.
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Katy Perry and Haven Madison paired up for a mix of By The Grace of God and Still Need You. At the end of the episode, Tongi was crowned the winner. He had performed an original song – ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ – in the finale.
After host Ryan Seacrest crowned Tongi the winner, he sang “Don’t Let Go”.
Who is Iam Tongi: All about his family
Born William Tongi, Iam is from Hawaii. His family consists of six members. He is 18 years old.
Tongi went to the Kahuku High & Intermediate School and is a senior at Washington’s Decatur High School.
His parents are Rodney and Lille Tongi. The 18-year-old also has a brother – Lerod and two sisters – Cassandra Alvina and Leilei Tongi.
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Rodney died in 2021 at the age of 50. He was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney disease. Like his son, he was also a musician and Iam’s idol.
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Iam Tongi performed ‘Making Memories of Us’ with Keith Urban in the final. After the performance, the American Idol winner revealed that his late father used to play Urban’s songs during his childhood.
“Can I just say one thing? In between you and Megan [Danielle] I had to grab a little tissue and fold it into a triangle because every time you come on and you sing the vibration that comes out of your mouth, it goes through the weeds of people’s hearts and it just gets to them. It moves us so much. So when you sing, I am ready to feel, baby,” Katy Perry reacted emotionally.
