When Iam Tongi won “American Idol” in 2023, he was just a high school student and still reeling from losing his dad, who’d died months before his heart-wrenching “Idol” audition. Although winning the competition was a thrill, Tongi struggled to feel truly happy about all the “blessings” happening in his life, he wrote in a vulnerable social media post on April 10, 2025.
“When I won American Idol in 2023 my life changed forever,” Tongi captioned a video of highlights from the last two years. “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,” Tongi continued. “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.”
Tongi, now 20, revealed that he eventually recognized he needed to take a “step back” and make some important changes, from taking better care of his health to allowing himself to grieve, he said. The resulting personal and creative growth now have Tongi pumped about his future, including new music.
Iam Tongi Says He ‘Decided to Prioritize Myself’ & Surround Himself With Positive People
In his April 10 post, Tongi shared that less than a year before, “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.”
The result of working out daily with help from a trainer, Tongi wrote, “has been a blessing but also one of the toughest things I’ve ever done,” adding that “getting stronger physically has helped me get stronger mentally and emotionally and also musically.”
“I decided to take a step back to reassess my life and my career,” Tongi continued. “I decided to prioritize myself. I started writing my own songs and telling my own stories and surrounding myself with positivity and people who genuinely cared about me and my well being.”
Now thrilled about the direction his life and music are going, including the release of his latest single “Sunshine” on April 25, Tongi wrote, “I have so much to be grateful for and so much to share with you over the coming months.”
Iam Tongi Says His New Single is About ‘Chasing the Light’
Fans rallied around Tongi, with more than 24,000 liking his candid post and hundreds praising his honesty in the comment section, including someone who wrote, “SO proud of you Iam!! it takes so much strength to wake up and choose yourself every single day! can’t wait to hear all the new music 💖🤙🏼”
Over the video of recent highlights, including footage from his workouts and attending “Idol” runner-up Megan Danielle’s wedding in March, Tongi wrote, “POV: You’ve been working for an entire year and it’s finally all coming together.”
Of the new song he’s releasing, Tongi shared, “It’s a simple message about chasing the light and celebrating the gift of each day. If it brings a smile to your face or makes your day a little bit brighter, then I’ve done what I set out to do.”
In addition to releasing “Sunshine,” Tongi is also scheduled to perform at CMA Fest from June 5 through 8, and then make his Grand Ole Opry debut on June 11 — a dream come true for him.
In a video about the Opry invitation, he shared, “My dad introduced me to country music when I was young and I grew up listening to artists like Kenny Rogers. So the fact that I get to perform on the Opry stage is a dream come true. Thank you to the Grand Ole Opry for inviting me to make my @opry debut on June 11!”