‘American Idol’ Winner Iam Tongi Announces Tour Dates: ‘I’ll Be Seeing You On The Road’
The ‘American Idol’ champ is hitting the road.
Iam Tongi; Photo by ABC/Eric McCandless
American Idol winner Iam Tongi is set to embark on his first-ever tour, bringing his incredible vocals to stages nationwide.
The Idol champ announced the news with his followers via Twitter, alongside a graphic that included all shows of the 10-date run.
“I’ll be seeing you on the road this summer,” Tongi shared.
The tour kicks off on Friday, June 23 with an appearance at the first-ever BEACH IT! Festival in Virginia Beach, Virginia. According to the official festival website, Tongi will perform on the main stage alongside Lily Rose, Kip Moore, Riley Green, and Miranda Lambert.
Tongi will also return home to Hawaii for Ohana Day on July 1.
Additionally, the American Idol winner will make his debut at the iconic Troubadour in West Hollywood, CA with back-to-back shows on July 24 and 25th.
The remainder of the tour includes appearances at several fairs and festivals.
Tongi’s tour news comes as he released a brand-new behind-the-scenes video, offering fans an inside look at the making of his debut single, “I’ll Be Seeing You.”
In the clip, the recent high school graduate can be seen belting out the lyrics of the heartfelt track in the studio alongside the production team.
“Here’s a behind-the-scenes look as I recorded ‘I’ll Be Seeing You,’ Tongi shared with fans on Wednesday (June 21).
Watch
Solely penned by Season 18 Idol alum Francisco Martin, “I’ll Be Seeing You” serves as a tribute to a loved one who passed away. For Tongi, that person is his father, who died just months before he auditioned for American Idol.
The lyrics find Tongi confessing that he’ll never forget “all your wits” and “all of the laughs.” While he admits he’s “lonely,” he has “no fear” because he finds comfort in the fact that he’ll see him again one day.
“’Cause I’ll be seeing you / Seeing you / Wherever I go / And I’ll be / Be with you / Be with you / Wherever I’ll go,” Tongi sings on the chorus.
A Beacon Of Hope
The song is a beacon of hope for anyone who’s lost a loved one.
“Gone but your love/ Is all I have left/ I’ll stand tall/ You’ll stay in my arms/ Won’t stay in the dark/ ‘Cause you’ll look for me,” he sings.
The tune, which was released on May 19 ahead of the American Idol finale, was produced by Oak for the Orphanage, Feenom & Roland Kiss.
Listen
Meaning Of The Song
Ahead of the tune’s release, Iam Tongi shared a clip describing what the song means to him.
“The meaning of this song to me is when you lose someone you love, everything that you used to do with them reminds you of them,” Tongi explained. ”My dad had kidney failure and he used to go to dialysis. Every single time we pass to a dialysis place. Oh look, it’s dad. I just want people to understand where I’m coming from and to hopefully love the music.”
Tongi recorded “I’ll Be Seeing You” at The Sound Factory with producer Oak Felder, an experience that he called “very special” and “awesome.”
“Oak Felder is such a cool guy. He’s so humble and he’s so chill,” Tongi continued. ”He was fun working with him.”
Iam Tongi has been on a remarkable journey since fans fell in love with his voice during Season 21 of the prestigious singing competition.
During his time on the show, Tongi performed songs such as “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt, “The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel, “Don’t Let Go” by Spawnbreezie, “The Winner Takes It All” by ABBA, “Stuck On You” by Lionel Richie, “Bring It On Home To Me” by Sam Cooke, “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong, and more.
Viewers were captivated by his unique voice and emotional life story. With the support of millions, Iam Tongi was crowned the winner of American Idol Season 21.
In a recent interview with Country Now, Tongi reflected on his big win. He admitted that the news didn’t sink in until after the finale.
“It kind of hit me a little bit when I landed at the airport over here in Seattle because a lot of my mom’s coworkers in Delta, they were waiting outside. And they came with signs, and I was like, oh shoot. I was like, this might be for reals, you know what I mean? Finally, it kinda like hit me a little bit.”
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
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