“American Idol” season 21 winner Iam Tongi shared an emotional post on August 30 in honor of National Grief Awareness Day.
The singer took to Instagram with a video clip of his single “Unbreak My Heart” which he captioned with a deeply important message. “I hope this song helps anyone dealing with loss,” Tongi wrote.
He continued, “Today is National Grief Awareness Day and I just want to remind you that you’re never alone.” Tongi went a step further to help fans who might be going through a difficult time, adding, “Click the link in my bio for a list of grief support hotlines for anyone who needs a little extra help.”
The video clip Tongi posted included a montage of messages he’s received since releasing “Unbreak My Heart” this year. Some of the messages simply showed love for the song, but many more told stories of heartbreaking losses, with fans sharing that the song helped them heal.
‘Unbreak My Heart’ Holds a Special Meaning for Tongi
During an interview with Celeb Secrets, Tongi referred to “Unbreak My Heart” as “so beautiful” and “one of my favorite songs that I’ve worked on.”
The song holds a very deep meaning for Tongi, as he explained that upon hearing the opening lyrics, “I remember when the call came in/Telling me you were gone/I remember trying to pretend/You’d be there when I got home,” he was “bawling.”
“That’s exactly how I felt when my dad passed away,” the singer shared. Tongi has been open in the past about losing his father in 2021, which made him quit playing music for a while.
He told Aloha State Daily that he could hear his dad singing whenever he played music, which was painful at first. “And then my mom said, ʻIsn’t that a good thing, though?’” Tongi shared. “ʻCause you can still hear him, even though he’s not with us right now?’”
Tongi Is Thriving on His Wellness Journey
Tongi, the first Pacific Islander to ever win “American Idol” has been on a wellness journey and revealed in May that he’d lost an impressive 115 lbs. Earlier this month the singer shared that he’d reached a new milestone and was now able to ride a bike for the first time in nearly 8 years.
“When I walked in the gym about 10 months ago, this wasn’t even a possibility and I didn’t think I’d ever ride a bike again,” Tongi captioned a video of him happily pedaling around town with friends.
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