What is Iam Tongi doing now? Singer’s life after American Idol 2023 win explored

The Season 21 winner, Iam Tongi, returned to the American Idol stage on Monday, May 12. This time, the 20-year-old singer was a guest performer on the Disney Night 2 episode instead of a contestant.

Since winning the competition in 2023, the Hawaiian-born singer-songwriter has been busy dropping new singles. Soon after he became the American Idol champion, Iam Tongi started performing in concerts and has earned a massive fan following on Instagram, with over 1Million followers.

Tongi has released singles like Sunshine, Road to Hana, and Why Kiki?, which he performed during his appearance on American Idol Season 22. Iam has also recorded a new version of Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride for the live-action adaptation of Lilo & Stitch, which he also performed on the American Idol Season 23 stage.

The singer-songwriter, who currently resides in Washington state, took a brief break to reassess his life and career, which he mentioned in an Instagram post last month. Tongi is seemingly shifting his focus back to singing with the recent release of two new singles.

He will also perform in Nashville and Del Mar in June and has multiple shows lined up for September.

Last month, Iam Tongi penned a heartfelt post reflecting upon his life after American Idol

The Sunshine singer, who has been busy pursuing his music, opened up about how his life altered after winning ABC’s competition. In an Instagram post last month, Iam Tongi wrote about being busy yet feeling “a sadness and an emptiness” at times. The Season 21 winner wrote:

"When I won American Idol in 2023 my life changed forever. So many amazing things were happening so quickly….I was in the studio recording music, traveling to places most dream about, performing for huge audiences and living a life only a few get to experience but I still felt a sadness and an emptiness I could not escape."

Iam Tongi lost his father, Rodney, months before he auditioned for American Idol. The singer added:

"I still had a lot of pain from losing my dad and that made it so hard to appreciate all the blessings God was giving me."

During a 2023 appearance on NPR’s All Things Considered, Tongi told the host, Juana Summers, that his dad pushed him to sing. At the same time, his mother encouraged him to practice after his father passed away.

In his April 2025 post, Iam Tongi talked about how his life suddenly changed post-American Idol. He continued:

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"Less than a year ago God made some changes in my life that allowed me to see things differently from a personal and emotional perspective. I woke up and realized it was time for me to take charge of my life and make the changes I had to make to be the best version of myself I could be."

Iam Tongi wrote about focusing on working out, taking a break to reevaluate his life and career, and deciding to write his songs. Tongi shared about his song Sunshine and talked about making more announcements in the coming months.

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