Iam Tongi is a popular singer. He won season 21 of American Idol. He’s the first person from Hawaii, the first Pacific Islander, and the first non-country singer to win in three years. So, fans are curious to know how much money he got by winning the 21st edition of American, what his current net worth is, and whether his life has changed or not. As of 2024, Iam Tongi has an estimated net worth of approximately $800K. In this article, we’ll explore Tongi’s sources of income along with his early life, age, career, family, and more.
Early life
Tongi grew up in Kahuku, Hawaii, but his family moved to Federal Way, Washington in 2019. He went to Federal Way High School before finishing at Decatur High School.
He started playing the ukulele in fifth grade. When he turned 13, his dad gave him a guitar as a holiday gift. Tongi used that guitar for almost all of his performances on American Idol.
Iam Tongi’s Net Worth
Winning season 21 of American Idol changed Tongi’s life completely. He got a recording contract with Hollywood Recordings and won $250K. After the show, he released some of his own songs, and his financial situation got a lot better. Now, he’s wealthy, with around $800K.
Besides winning American Idol, he makes money from various sources. He has over 380k subscribers on YouTube, so he earns a good income from there. He also has 1.5 million followers on TikTok. He releases songs on all streaming platforms regularly. We think most of his money comes from his music and concerts. Winning American Idol was definitely a turning point in his life.
Iam Tongi’s Age
He’s 20 years old. The American singer, born on September 1, 2004, is named William Guy Tongi, but he goes by Iam Tongi. His zodiac sign is Virgo.
Iam Tongi’s Height and Weight
Tongi’s height is approximately 5 feet 7 inches (170 centimeters). When talking about his weight, he is 242 pounds or 110 kilograms.
Iam Tongi’s Parents and Siblings
Tongi is the youngest of five kids. He has two brothers, Lerod and Sitaleki, and two sisters, Jennifer and Cassandra. His mom, Lillie Tongi, worked for an airline. His dad was Rodney Tongi. Tongi follows The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He wants to go on a mission soon. His faith meant a lot to him even during his time on American Idol. His mom, Lillie, said Tongi was her support after Rodney passed away.
Iam Tongi’s dad, Rodney Tongi, was Tongan and Samoan. Iam often talks about their special musical connection. Rodney believed in Iam’s musical talent first. He gave him his first guitar, even though it was expensive for them.
Sadly, Rodney passed away in December 2021 from stage 4 kidney disease. Iam’s story about his dad’s sickness and passing touched many on American Idol. He dedicated his last performance on the show to his dad. He sang an original song called “I’ll Be Seeing You,” remembering his dad fondly.
Iam Tongi’s Audition
Tongi tried out for American Idol Season 20 but didn’t make it past the first round. Without telling him, his mom signed him up for Season 21. Tongi didn’t really want to try again because he felt down about getting rejected before. He thought he wouldn’t go far this time either. But he ended up facing judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan.
During his audition, Tongi talked about moving to Washington because it was too expensive to stay where he was. When they asked about his dad, Tongi got emotional. He explained that his dad, Rodney, who got him into music, had passed away a few months earlier. Tongi hadn’t planned to talk about his dad because he didn’t want people to feel sorry for him.
Tongi sang James Blunt’s “Monsters” for his audition and dedicated it to his dad. All three judges gave him a standing ovation and voted for him to move to the next round. The video of his audition got really popular, with 112,000 new followers on Instagram in just two days. It also became the most-watched audition on American Idol’s YouTube channel, getting over 16 million views in three months.
Iam Tongi Crowned Winner of American Idol’s Season 21
After many weeks of tough competition, special music nights, touching stories, and unexpected goodbyes, American Idol’s season 21 finale came down to Megan Danielle, Colin Stough, and Tongi. But, the 18-year-old singer won the season. ET’s Denny Directo talked with Tongi after his big win. The talented singer was still surprised, saying, “It hasn’t sunk in yet, you know?” On Sunday’s show, he sang his original song, “I’ll Be Seeing You,” amazingly. He also did a great cover of “Monsters” with James Blunt.
Also, read –
- Lou Adler’s Net Worth: Wife, Children, Career, Music, and More
- John Rumpel’s Net Worth: Wife, Family, Career, Plane Crash
- Harry Mack Net Worth: Age, Early Life, Wife, Career, Songs
- David Sacks Net Worth: Age, Wife, Family, Career, Twitter, Podcast
- Tucker Carlson Net Worth: Age, Wife, Career, Children, Interview
