It’s spring training season — not just for baseball players, but for “American Idol” season 21 winner Iam Tongi, too. On March 20, 2025, fans and friends from the show rallied around the 20-year-old singer after he shared on social media how he’s getting healthier in 2025.
Captioning a video of his arduous workouts, Tongi wrote, “It’s the first official day of spring and I’m hitting the reset button ☀️💪🏽🤙🏽”
Thousands Support Iam Tongi’s Mission to Get Healthier
The video that Tongi shared featured footage from workout sessions with a trainer, including pushing a monster truck tire down a neighborhood street and participating in what’s known as sledgehammer training, a form of full-body conditioning.
The hashtags Tongi included in his caption revealed his thoughts about this new journey, including #SeasonOfGrowth, #SpringVibes, #GetOutside and #GoodForMySoul.
Many fellow “Idol” alums celebrated Tongi’s efforts in the comment section of his post, including his good friend, season 21 finalist Oliver Steele, who wrote, “Hell yeah brother 🔥🔥🔥”
Season 21 top 5 finalist Wé Ani chimed in with a “YESSSSS!!!!!” and season 22 finalist Jordan Anthony wrote, “The pure agony at the start 😂”
Within three hours of Tongi posting, over 24,000 fans had liked his video and many left encouraging words, including one who wrote, “So proud of you my guy!!! I promise it’s all worth it! I’m currently down 100lbs in 6.5months 🙌 you can do it!!!!!”
Since Tongi took home the win on “Idol,” fans have left messages of concern for him on his posts, urging him to consider dropping some of his weight. As he rang in 2025 with friends, one fan wrote, “I hope to see you get healthier in 2025” and another suggested, “Maybe also healthy journey for 2025 we want u to walk around concerts and interact not get a chair sit and sing js brother much love”
Whether Tongi was swayed by their messages or independently decided to make a change, he has publicly prioritized getting healthier in 2025. On March 6, he shared a similar video — accompanied by his song “Road to Hana” — that showed him entering a tent filled with weight training equipment for a workout.
The singer captioned that video by writing, “Grateful for this journey I’m on. 💪🏽 Music fuels my soul, but staying active keeps me grounded and energized. It’s all about putting in the work and staying positive. Let’s keep pushing, stay strong, get outside and spread those good vibes. 🤙🏽✨”
Thousands responded to that post, too, including someone who wrote, “Love this! You are being a role model and an inspiration to many others. Keep going!”
Iam Tongi Has Stayed Busy Since His 2023 ‘Idol’ Win
Things have not slowed down for Tongi since his “Idol” win in 2023. The Hawaii native has released multiple singles and has built a global fanbase, including over a million Instagram followers. He’s often on the road for concert dates, recently performing his first shows in Canada.
As the first Pacific Islander to win “American Idol,” Tongi is especially popular among the Asian Pacific Islander (API) community. In February, for instance, he performed a concert for Cornell University’s Pacific Islander Cultural Night. In 2024, he was invited to the White House and performed for an auditorium full of Washington D.C. dignitaries in honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, per Hawaii News Now.
Tongi continues to write, record, and release new music, too. On March 19, he posted a video of himself getting a haircut before shooting a music video in Nashville. But he’s back on the road for another concert on March 22, this time in Primm, Nevada.
Tongi’s fans have also loved seeing him in love, occasionally sharing peeks at his relationship with his girlfriend of more than a year, Leah, per Swooon.
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Fans Rally Around Iam Tongi as He Reveals New Health Journey