One of the most successful “American Idol” winners in recent history, season 21’s Iam Tongi, has toured the world and released multiple singles since appearing on the show as a high schooler. But the Hawaii native, now 21, had not released a full-length album until now.
Overnight on March 13, 2026, Tongi released “Good For My Soul,” an album with 13 new songs — a thrilling development for fans who’ve been following him since his 2023 win.
Iam Tongi Says New Album Addresses ‘Everything I’ve Been Feeling’ Over the Last 3 Years
In a February social media post teasing “Good For My Soul,” Tongi said he’s “been working so long towards an album, and the songs mean so much to me.”
Tongi captured America’s heart from the moment his “American Idol” audition first aired in February 2023. He sang “Monsters” in honor of his dad, who’d died several months prior, and the YouTube video alone has been viewed 46 million times.
From the grief of his dad’s death to the elation of winning the show, and all of the emotions that have come since, Tongi said he had a lot to get off his chest on this first album, writing on social media in early February that “Good For My Soul” would incorporate “everything I’ve been feeling during this period of my life.”
“When you hear this album, I hope you hear me as a person,” he added.
According to Tongi’s management team at Halo Entertainment Group, his first album “captures the evolution of a young artist navigating life after a whirlwind rise to fame while remaining deeply connected to his roots. Themes of family, love, and home run throughout the project, with several songs paying tribute to the culture and influences that shaped him growing up in Hawaii.”
Tongi will appear Radio Margaritaville, available to stream here, for an album listening party as he shares the stories behind the songs over the weekend. Airtimes (all Eastern time) are March 13 at 9 a.m., 2 p.m., and 10 p.m., March 14 at noon and 6 p.m., and March 15 at 10 a.m. and 11 p.m.
Fans Are Already Loving Iam Tongi’s New Album
Just hours after its release, fans have flooded Tongi’s social media posts with feedback on the new album, including one who wrote, “honestly your voice is getting me through such a hard time right now😢”
Another wrote on Facebook, “You are blessing your music your voice your songs always bring a calmness so soothing in a world full of chaos.”
Someone else gushed, ” IT’S ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!! GREAT SONGS, ALL SUNG SO BEAUTIFULLY BY IAM TONGI THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN VOICE!!! AMAZING 1ST ALBUM, GREAT JOB!!!”
Right before the album dropped, Tongi posted a selfie video in his Instagram Stories, letting fans know he was “nervous but excited” for them to hear it. Talking from his kitchen, he laughed, “Yo, is it crazy right now that I’m cooking and listening to my own music?”
