• 3 months ago
Tongi Made The Judges Cry With His Emotional Story And Song - American Idol 2023
Tongi's audition is unforgettable. Can't believe it's almost the one year anniversary of the world hearing his story!

Category

😹
Fun
Transcript
00:00Hi.
00:01Hello.
00:02Hello.
00:03How are you?
00:04I'm good.
00:05I'm good.
00:06How are you guys?
00:07Very well.
00:08So, tell us who you are and where you're from.
00:09My name is Ian Tongi, and I'm from Kahuku, Hawaii.
00:12Ian Tongi.
00:13Tongi.
00:14Tongi.
00:15You pronounce the T's like a D in the Tongan culture.
00:16Oh, Tongi.
00:17Yeah.
00:18Tongi.
00:19So, tell us about your journey.
00:20How did you get here?
00:21Well, I grew up in Kahuku, which is on Oahu, and I recently, like, well, not recently,
00:27like three years ago, I moved to Seattle.
00:29Hey.
00:30It's not the same, but it's still all right.
00:31It's definitely different weather.
00:32It's not the same, but it's all right.
00:35Yeah.
00:36Why on earth would you leave Hawaii?
00:37Price Out of Paradise.
00:38That's what it is.
00:39Ah.
00:40Ah.
00:41Yeah, Price Out of Paradise.
00:42I get it.
00:43Got to move to a cheaper state.
00:44We're fixing to get you priced back in Hawaii.
00:46Yeah.
00:47You're going to go back in.
00:48Any chance.
00:49Move back.
00:50I think you should buy a house.
00:51Is your family there, or where's your family?
00:52Most of my mom's siblings, she has 12 siblings.
00:55I have family in Hawaii, but my mom, we all live in Seattle.
00:58So how come?
00:59And your dad?
01:00My dad passed away, like, a couple months ago.
01:04Sorry, buddy.
01:06So who got you into music?
01:09My dad.
01:10Ah.
01:11He taught me.
01:12He's the reason for all this, huh?
01:13Yeah.
01:14Okay.
01:15What's his name?
01:16Rodney.
01:17Rodney.
01:18Rodney, yeah.
01:19I could tell he meant a lot to you.
01:21Yeah.
01:22Yeah.
01:23Sorry, buddy.
01:24I got it, man.
01:25What are you going to do for us?
01:26Um, song.
01:30Take your time.
01:31Take your time.
01:32It's okay, man.
01:33You know, when you love so deeply, you feel so deeply.
01:36Yeah.
01:37And so what you're just giving us right now is the fact
01:39that you love that man so much, okay?
01:41Yeah.
01:42We're there with you.
01:43The song I'll be singing is a song,
01:46it's called Monsters by James Blunt.
01:48Monsters, okay.
01:49Yeah, it's a song I'm dedicating to my dad.
01:52All right.
01:53You want to take a moment?
01:54You all right?
01:55Yeah.
01:56I'm good, I'm good.
01:58You got to relax a little.
02:02laughs
02:04acoustic guitar plays
02:13Oh, before they turn off all the lights
02:21I won't read you your wrongs or your rights
02:26Time is gone
02:29Oh, I'll tell you goodnight, close the door
02:36I'll tell you I love you once more
02:40Time is gone
02:42So here it is
02:44I'm not your son
02:47You're not my father
02:49We're just two grown men saying goodbye
02:54No need to forget
02:57No need to forget
02:59I know your mistakes and you know mine
03:05While you're sleeping
03:07I'll try to make you proud
03:09So Daddy, won't you just close your eyes
03:13Don't be afraid
03:16It's my turn to chase the monsters away
03:22Sleep a lifetime
03:26Yes, and breathe a last word
03:31You can feel my hand on your own
03:39I'm not your son
03:41You're not my father
03:44We're just two grown men saying goodbye
03:49No need to forget
03:51No need to forget
03:53I know your mistakes and you know mine
03:59While you're sleeping
04:01I'll try to make you proud
04:03So Daddy, won't you just close your eyes
04:07Don't be afraid
04:10It's my turn to chase the monsters away
04:16Oh, sorry.
04:17That's all right, man.
04:18That's all right, man.
04:19Whoo!
04:21Whew!
04:23Hmm.
04:25I was not worried about
04:27whether you were gonna make it through the song.
04:31I was worried about whether
04:32we were gonna make it through the song.
04:34Your daddy's very proud.
04:35Thank you so much.
04:36I mean, what a fantastic song to pick.
04:40Oh, thank God for telling me.
04:41I feel like you could have written this song.
04:45I mean, you sang it, you delivered it,
04:47and you're making these grown men cry.
04:50You hit a nerve.
04:53And that's what great storytellers do.
04:55That's what great artists do,
04:56and your voice is just so magnificent.
04:59It really is.
05:01I cannot handle your heart breaking
05:03about your dad,
05:04because, you know, my nephew lost his dad,
05:07and he came to live with me,
05:08and just seeing you missing your dad just sucks.
05:14And gosh, man, you just got a great voice.
05:18You got a great voice.
05:21You just did everything perfect,
05:22and I love you, and I want to just want to see you
05:26have fun in this whole thing, man.
05:29It's just awesome.
05:32Awesome what you just did.
05:33I mean, you're 18 years old.
05:35Oh, yeah, yeah.
05:36Let me just tell you something.
05:38The story is one thing.
05:40Your delivery of your story was phenomenal.
05:46Luke, what's your vote?
05:47Obviously, I'm a yes.
05:48You're gonna be all right, Luke.
05:49I'm a yes.
05:51This one's for Rodney.
05:53Yeah.
05:54I'm a yes.
05:55Thank you so much.
05:56Thank you so much.
05:57It's a yes for me,
05:58and young man, you take this into the world,
06:03and you're gonna fracture some souls.
06:07Thank you so much.
06:08The greatest thing we can say to you at this moment...
06:13You're going to Hollywood, man.
06:15Okay?
06:18Oh, I got to give him a hug.
06:19I know.
06:20No, man, that was awesome, buddy.
06:22Thank you, man.
06:23Great job.
06:24Thank you, man.
06:25Great job.
06:26All my life, my dad told me that singing is the only thing
06:28that was meant for me.
06:30Whoo-hoo!
06:33The main reason why I did music is because of my dad.
06:36That's how me and my dad bonded,
06:38but ever since he passed away, you know, it's been hard.
06:42This one's for Rodney.
06:44Yeah.
06:45Oh, my dad.
06:47Yeah.
06:49♪♪♪
06:56People thought I cried, you know, because I miss him,
06:58but it's because I hear him singing.
07:00I can hear his harmony.
07:02I can hear, like, how he would harmonize with me in that song.
07:07He always wanted me to come to American Idol.
07:10See, so I'm trying to make him proud of me.
07:15I know, I know he's with me through our music.
07:17He'll always be with me.
07:19I love you, Dad.
07:21♪♪♪

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