Iam Tongi and James Blunt brought Luke Bryan, Jelly Roll, Katy Perry and many viewers to tears with their emotional performance of “Monsters” during the American Idol finale.
On Sunday (May 21), the 18-year-old American Idol winner and chart-topping hitmaker joined forces to perform the heart-wrenching track that Blunt wrote as a tribute to his father, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 Kidney Disease.
Tongi resonated with the song as he too lost his father to a kidney illness.
Watch Iam Tongi And James Blunt’s Performance Below
The pair traded verses throughout their time on stage together. As lights shined down on them from above they effortlessly belted out the lyrics.
In the middle of the performance, Iam Tongi was overcome with emotions. Tears began to stream down his face. At one point, he had to wipe the tears from his eyes and attempt to compose himself.
As they performed, Jelly Roll could be seen comforting Iam Tongi’s mother from the crowd. Katy Perry was shown wiping tears from her eyes with a tissue, and Luke Bryan could be seen watching on with tears filling his eyes.
Their performance was without a doubt a highlight of the American Idol finale.
Tribute To His Late Father Rodney
Tongi also auditioned with “Monsters,” which served as a tribute to his late father, Rodney.
“My dad passed away a couple months ago,” Tongi emotionally shared with the Idol judges at the time of his Idol audition. As his emotions continued to overcome him, the contestant shared that his Idol audition is in honor of his late father.
Strumming an acoustic guitar, Tongi belted out the lyrics to the Blunt tune and all three of the Idol judges became visibly moved by his heartfelt performance. Bryan was even seen wiping away tears from his eyes with a tissue during Tongi’s audition.
“I’m not your son, you’re not my father / We’re just two grown men saying goodbye / No need to forgive, no need to forget / I know your mistakes and you know mine / And while you’re sleeping I’ll try to make you proud / So, daddy, won’t you just close your eyes? / Don’t be afraid, it’s my turn / To chase the monsters away,” Tongi sang on the tune’s chorus.
Brought Luke Bryan And Lionel Richie To Tears During His Audition
At the conclusion of his tearful audition, all three of the Idol judges gave Tongi a standing ovation.
Lionel Richie then assured him “it’s alright man, it’s alright” before saying, “I was not worried about whether you were going to make it through the song, I was worried about whether we were going to make it through the song. Your daddy’s very proud.”
Katy Perry praised Tongi’s song choice and his performance of the tune.
“I mean, what a fantastic song to pick [and] I feel like you could’ve written this song, Perry said. “I mean, you sang it, you delivered it, and you’re making these grown men cry. You hit a nerve and that’s what great storytellers do. That’s what great artists do and your voice is just so magnificent.”
Luke Bryan Connects With “Monsters”
The “Country On” singer connected to his performance as he took in his nephew, Til Cheshire, who also lost a father.
“I cannot handle your heartbreaking about your Dad because my nephew lost his dad and he came to live with me and to see you missing your dad just sucks,” Bryan said as tears streamed down his cheek. ”And gosh man, you got a great voice, you got a great voice. You just did everything perfect and I love ya, and I just want to see you have fun in this whole thing man. It’s just awesome. Awesome that you just did to me and your 18 years old.”
Richie then added, “Let me just tell you something. The story is one thing, your delivery of your story was phenomenal. Young man, you take this into the world and you’re going to fracture some souls. Your dad is very proud.”
“This one’s for Rodney,” Perry exclaimed, honoring Tongi’s late father.
Debut Single “I’ll Be Seeing You”
Additionally, Iam Tongi recently released his debut single “I’ll Be Seeing You.”
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 Iam Tongi, that person is his father, who died just months before his Idol audition.
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.
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,” Tongi sang on the third verse.
The tune, which released on Friday (May 19), was produced by Oak for the Orphanage, Feenom & Roland Kiss.
