Iam Tongi

For Iam Tongi, music is about transformation – and it always has been. A Hawaiian-born singer-songwriter and the Season 21 champion of American Idol, Tongi first picked up a ukulele in the fifth grade, immersed in a deeply musical world filled with the traditional singing and dance of Pacific Island cultures. Tongi learned to sing from his father, who in turned had learned from his father before him. By 13 Tongi had played his first show, but after moving to Seattle a few years later – and losing his father in 2021 – he nearly gave music up completely. His mother secretly signed him up for American Idol, and after Tongi’s viral audition performance of James Blunt’s “Monsters” became one of American Idol’s all time emotional highlights, he went on to win Season 21, making history as the first Pacific Islander to ever win the show. His new music marks a creative transition leaning into his cultural heritage and musical roots – but also the man he’s become.

You may also like the following events from The Waldo Theatre:

• Next Friday, 5th September, 07:30 pm, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee in Waldoboro
• Next month, 20th September, 07:00 pm, Houdini w/ Ben Curtis & Alan Magee in Waldoboro
• Next month, 25th September, 07:00 pm, Thirteen Ways: Maine Artist Film Series #3 in Waldoboro

Also check out other Music events in Waldoboro.