Iam Tongi Performing at Festival for Maui Wildfire Relief

Iam Tongi is paying it forward to the people of Hawaii. The American Idol winner is set to perform as part of the Holo Holo Music Festival in California, which places heavy emphasis on island music. The festival will also put two Hawaii-based nonprofits in the spotlight, the Hawaiian Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund and the Chef Hui Maui Relief Fund.

The former organization is working to provide critical support for financial needs and resources for the people impacted by the Maui wildfires, while the latter fund prepares meals and distributes food to people in need, among other services.

Kolohe Kai, Common Kings, J Boog, Steel Pulse, FIJI, Ka’ikena Scanlan, and Mike Love are among the many other artists who will take the stage at Toyota Amphitheatre in Wheatland, California, near Sacramento on September 9 and 10. The event will be live streamed for free, as fans will be encouraged to donate to Maui Strong Fund and Chef Hui Maui Relief Fund throughout the weekend.

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The festival and Good Vibez, the company presenting the event, have pledged to donate $15,000 to both of the nonprofits. In August 2023, deadly wildfires tore through Maui that killed more than 100 people and damaged thousands of buildings. Hawaii Governor Josh Green declared the fires as the worst natural disaster in the state’s history.

Tongi spoke out about the devastating fires during an appearance on Good Morning America where he performed a cover of Mel & Tim’s soulful 1972 hit, “Starting All Over Again,” in honor of those affected. “The way I’m motivating my supporters is asking them to do some research on the right organizations to donate to, and to also say prayers for Maui,” he said.

“Holo Holo allows us to showcase island reggae on a literal and proverbial big stage, so they can tell their stories to the world,” Good Vibez Presents festival producer Dan Sheehan said in a statement. “We are honored to use this platform to bring a little aloha to people all over the world through the livestream and have the power of music bring us together as a global family to support Maui.”

Photo by ABC/Eric McCandless