The local who won it all on ABC’s American Idol this year is honored by the King County council.
Iam Tongi, the guitar playing Hawaiian transplant from Federal Way, received a special recognition from King County council remember Pete Von Reichbauer, who says, “Iam’s love of music came from his late father, Rodney, who gifted him with a guitar when he was 13 and always told him that singing was the only thing meant for him.”
Iam tells Northwest Newsradio’s Ryan Harris he’s happy his family, friends and members of the Pacific Islander community were there to support him, but the pain of missing his father still shows clearly in Iam’s eyes whenever his dad comes up. Still, Iam says he’s sure his dad would be proud. “I feel like he would be happy,” Iam says, “and just very supportive and, yeah, I would like to think so.”
Iam is out on tour with a slew of dates in California starting next week.
He is the first Washingtonian and the first Pacific Islander to win Idol, establishing those firsts in the show’s 21st season.
Iam recently sang the national anthem at the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game and later apologized for wearing his hat while singing the anthem. He says he got caught up in the moment and simply forgot to remove his hat.
You can follow Iam on social media:
And you can listen to Iam’s music on Spotify
