William Guy "Iam" Tongi (born September 1, 2004)[1] was a contestant on, and the eventual winner of, Season 21 of American Idol.
Audition[]
Iam auditioned in New Orleans. He sang "Monsters" by James Blunt. All three judges voted "yes", sending him to the next round.
Hollywood Round[]
Iam chose to work on his Confidence in the first part of Hollywood Week. He sang "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt. He was shown in a duet with Oliver Steele called "Kindred Spirits", singing "Save Your Tears" by The Weeknd. Just before his performance, Iam's guitar, which his late father gave him, broke. For his final solo performance, he sang "The Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel. Afterwards, the judges brought him, Matt Wilson, and Colin Stough up at the same time. The judges told all three contestants that they each did enough to become a Top 26 finalist.
Top 26 (Hawaii Round) — Group 1[]
Iam was mentored by Allen Stone, and sang "Don't Let Go" by Spawnbreezie. He received enough votes to be deemed "safe" for another week.
Top 20 Week[]
Iam sang "The Winner Takes It All" by ABBA. He received enough votes to become a Top 12 finalist. In celebration, he sang "Stuck on You" by Lionel Richie.
Top 12 (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)[]
Iam sang "Bring It on Home to Me" by Sam Cooke. He received enough votes to be considered "safe" for another round.
Top 10 (Judges' Song Contest)[]
Iam sang "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong, as chosen by Luke Bryan. He received enough votes to be considered "safe" for another round.
Top 8 (Alanis Morissette/Ed Sheeran)[]
Iam sang "Guardian" by Alanis Morissette as his solo. He also sang "Photograph" by Ed Sheeran as a duet, with Oliver Steele (who was eliminated that night). Iam received enough votes to be considered "safe" for another week.
Top 5 (Disney Night)[]
Iam sang "Lava", composed by James Ford Murphy, from the short film Lava; and "Father and Son" by Cat Steves, from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. He received enough votes to advance to the Finale.
Season 21 Finale[]
Iam sang "Making Memories of Us" by Keith Urban, "Cool Down" by Kolohe Kai and "I'll Be Seeing You". He received more votes than Megan Danielle and Colin Stough, rendering him season 21's winner, the American Idol.
List of Performances[]
| Stage | Song | Artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auditions | "Monsters" | James Blunt | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round | "I Can't Make You Love Me" | Bonnie Raitt | Advanced |
| "Save Your Tears"
(duet w/ Oliver Steele) |
The Weeknd | Advanced | |
| Showstopper Round | "The Sound of Silence" | Simon & Garfunkel | Top 24 |
| Top 26 (Hawaii Round) | "Don't Let Go" | Spawnbreezie | Safe |
| Top 20 | "The Winner Takes It All" | ABBA | Safe |
| "Stuck on You" | Lionel Richie | Top 10 | |
| Top 12 | "Bring It on Home to Me" | Sam Cooke | Safe |
| Top 10 | "What a Wonderful World" | Louis Armstrong | Safe |
| Top 8 | "Guardian" | Alanis Morisseette | Safe |
| "Photograph"
(duet w/ Oliver Steele) |
Ed Sheeran | Safe | |
| Top 5 | "Lava"
(from Lava) |
Kuana Torres-Kahele
& Napua Greig |
Safe |
| "Father and Son"
(from Guardians of the Galaxy • Vol. 2) |
Cat Stevens | Safe | |
| Grand Finale | "Making Memories of Us" | Keith Urban | WINNER |
| "Cool Down" | Kolohe Kai | ||
| "I'll Be Seeing You" | Iam Tongi |
Post-Idol Appearances[]
- Iam returned on Season 22's Group 1 episode and performed his new song, "Why Kiki". He was also seen in the opening credits of the Group 2 episode.
Trivia[]
- Iam is the first person not from the continental 48 states to win American Idol.
- Iam is the first American Idol winner to be born after the show originally premiered.