NEED TO KNOW
- American Idol season 21 winner Iam Tongi, 20, revealed that he has lost 115 lbs. since the show while speaking exclusively to PEOPLE at the Lilo & Stitch world premiere in Los Angeles on May 17
- Tongi said he spends most days working out with a personal trainer, noting that his current routine “feels amazing”
- The singer made history as the first person from Hawaii and the first Pacific Islander to win the singing competition show
American Idol alum Iam Tongi is opening up about his recent 115 lb. weight loss.
While speaking to PEOPLE exclusively at the Lilo & Stitch world premiere at El Capitan Theater in Los Angeles on Saturday, May 17, the season 21 winner said he has been “working on myself” and “trying to stay healthy.”
He went on to share that most of his days entail a fitness routine with a personal trainer.
“We have a workout session maybe around 11, come back [home], and we go to an ice bath or sauna … or whatever it is. And then we come back, shower and go on a walk,” Tongi, 20, says. “And I’ve lost 115 lbs. It feels amazing. I feel great.”
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And when he’s not focusing on his health, he’s working on his music.
“I moved out to Memphis, so I’ve been working out, writing, recording, and just been busy — but in a different way,” he tells PEOPLE.
“I’m working on an album, actually, so I’m excited about that, and we’ll see how that goes,” he continues. “I’m inspired by a lot of soul. I love Al Green. Al Green is one of my favorite singers, so I’m excited for that [single].”
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The Hawaiian-born singer has a song in the new live-action Lilo & Stitch movie, which he says “has been crazy.”
While Tongi is enjoying his new life in Tennessee, he tells PEOPLE that he always appreciates a visit home to Hawaii.
“It’s a great feeling to go home and just see the people and see them be excited when they see me. It’s such a good feeling. It’s a cool feeling,” he says.
As for what the future holds for him, Tongi says fans could be getting new music as soon as October. He also teased that he still has a few bucket list artists with whom he hopes to collaborate someday.
“My dream collab is Fiji. He’s a Polynesian singer, and he’s a legend, and not only Polynesian, but just Islanders. All Islanders know who Fiji is, and that’s a dream collaboration,” he shares.
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Tongi has made a name for himself as a rare Hawaiian-born country music artist.
“Country music means a lot to me because that’s what I grew up on,” he told PEOPLE in December 2023.
“I grew up on island music and I grew up on country music. And my dad, he’s the one who really got me into it, because my dad loved country music. My dad’s favorite singer was George Strait,” he said.
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Tongi lost his father to kidney disease in December 2021 — and he told PEOPLE in 2023 that his mom encouraged him to audition for American Idol as a tribute to his father.
“I had a bad attitude in the beginning because I felt like there was no reason for me to come on,” he recalled. “They were just going to say that I was not good enough. And then I won the thing, and that was crazy.”
Tongi made history as the first person from Hawaii and the first Pacific Islander to win the iconic singing competition show in the season 21 finale in May 2023.
