It was a nail-biting finish, but Iam Tongi has been crowned the new American Idol.
On Sunday’s season finale, 18-year-old Tongi won after his performance of an original song entitled “I’ll Be Seeing You.”
He competed against Megan Danielle and Colin Stough, who were second and third place.
It was a touching moment when Tongi sang “Don’t Let Go” at the end of the show in front of his family in the audience.
His audition was extraordinarily powerful. He sang “Monsters” and dedicated to his father, who passed away months before.
“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 is very proud,” said judge Lionel Richie at the time, as Katy Perry noted, “What a fantastic song to pick. You’re making these grown men cry.”
“I cannot handle your heart breaking about your dad because my nephew lost his dad and he came to live with me and just seeing you missing your dad sucks. Gosh man, you’ve got a great voice. You did everything perfectly and I love you and want to see you have fun,” added Luke Bryan.
As the new American Idol, Tongi will receive a recording contract with production for his debut album.