Season 21 winner of American Idol, Iam Tongi, walks down the long hallway backstage at the Grand Ole Opry House Wednesday night into dressing room 17—black-and-white photos of classic country singers line the walls. Tongi sits down on the large leather couch, and his eyes light up as he starts naming them off.
“That’s Hank Williams,” he says. “That’s Willie Nelson. That’s Tammy Wynette. That’s Garth Brooks.”
Tongi, a Hawaii native, played CMA Fest last week, made his Grand Ole Opry debut Wednesday, and will open for Luke Bryan this weekend in Florida. Given the heavy reggae influence in his music, he wasn’t sure how country music fans would receive him. At CMA Fest, the audience danced, cheered, and raised their hands to the sky. He got a standing ovation at the Opry. At the time of the interview before the show, he didn’t know that would happen. But he wanted fans to love him. He grew up listening to country music with his dad, who loved Keith Urban and George Strait. They watched Grand Ole Opry videos together, and that’s how he developed a love for country music. Tongi’s dad died three years ago, and being able to play the Opry was like having a little piece of him back.
Later that night, Tongi stepped into the Opry’s famous circle. He wowed audiences with his light-hearted “Road to Hana” before pulling them to their feet with his emotional performance of “Unbreak My Heart.” While he didn’t write it, Tongi relates to the song about coping with grief because of his dad’s death. The Opry was the first time he’d performed the song live.
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The lyrics include: I remember when the call came in telling me you were gone| And I remember trying to pretend you’ll be there when I got home.
“When we were in the studio, we had to stop recording for a little bit,” Tongi says, leaning forward on the dressing room couch. “I needed to take a break. I was recording it crying. Just even talking about it now just gets emotional. But it’s hard. A lot of people always say it gets easier over time, but it never does. Honestly, it never does.”
Tongi looks up and spots a picture of Don Schlitz on the wall who wrote Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler.” Rogers was one of his dad’s favorite singers, and Tongi crooned, “On a warm summer’s evening, on a train bound to nowhere.”
The 20-year-old singer is nervous. He quit music when his dad died because that was how they bonded. His mom signed him up for American Idol. He didn’t make the choice, but he’s happy she did. Tongi flew her from her home in Washington to Nashville to watch him sing on the Opry.
“There was no reason for me to keep going,” Tongi says of music. “I only did music to make him happy.”
“I Only Did Music to Make Him Happy”
Some of his earliest country music memories are of watching videos from George Jones’ funeral at the Opry House on YouTube with his dad. He remembers seeing Brooks in the clips, along with videos of Alan Jackson and Vince Gill. Jackson’s version of “He Stopped Loving Her Today” is what inspired Tongi to delve deeper into country music.
“I’m over here, tearing up just a little kid, watching it crying,” he says. “It was just crazy. But that’s how I know Hank Williams and Garth Brooks, all these guys.”
He learned Brooks’ “The Dance” for his mom.
On a whim, I asked Tongi if he’d like to make a video to send to Brooks. Brooks is a longtime Opry member with a huge heart for both the Opry and up-and-coming artists. Tongi was stunned at the suggestion.
“Oh please, please, yes, ma’am, please,” he says, his smile spreading across his face.
I say, “OK, we’ll do it.”
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We continue to talk. Tongi explains that the steel guitar is a Hawaiian instrument. When he hears it, it sounds like home. So Tongi uses steel in many of his songs. The distinct twang bridges the gap between island music and country songs.
“I feel all music influences each other,” he says. “I don’t care what people say. Soul music influenced country music. Country music influenced soul music. Hawaiian music influenced country music.”
When Tongi hears Kenny Rogers, he hears steel guitar.
If he stops talking too long about his musical roots or his favorite country singers, Tongi starts to get nervous again. He visited the Opry stage earlier in the day and got goosebumps just from standing on it. He’s terrified the Opry audience won’t accept him.
I ask if he’d like to make the video for Brooks. He looks at me in disbelief, and he excitedly says, “Yes.” He hops off the leather couch and stands in front of the lit mirror beside Brooks’ photo.
“This is crazy,” he says. “Hey, Garth Brooks. I’m such a huge fan. This is crazy. I love you so much. I’m Iam Tongi, and I’m making my Grand Ole Opry debut. My dad was a huge fan. He passed away, but he got me into country. You got me into country.”
I texted the video to Brooks, and within 10 minutes, Brooks texted his own video back to Tongi. He told him the Opry was the greatest place to play and told him to enjoy himself.
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“I know you said you lost your dad, but I know you talk to him every day,” Brooks says. “You tell him I love him.”
Tongi was already side stage when Brooks’ video came in. His easy spirit, open heart and two songs captured the crowd. When he finished, they jumped to their feet in applause.
Tongi’s team played the video Brooks sent him as soon as he got back to his dressing room. Dressed head to toe in black, wearing his trademark flip-flops and a Ti Leaf Lei around his neck, Tongi sat down on the piano bench to watch the video. He laughed with disbelief and delight when he watched Brooks tell him to have fun.
“That’s crazy,” Tongi exclaimed. “Wow. Garth Brooks, right there. That’s crazy. I’m just blown away. That’s crazy. My dad loved Garth Brooks. I learned ‘The Dance’ for my mom.”
Tongi swiped a tear from his cheek and shook his head.
(Photo by Chris Hollo)
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