Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Iam Tongi with the card announcing his American Idol victory. (ABC Photo)

Iam Tongi has announced his first major show since winning American Idol.

And he might want to check with Colin Stough to see if he can borrow that cowboy that he tried on backstage at the Idol finale.

Iam will perform at Beach It!, a three-day country music festival being held in Virginia Beach set for June 23-25.

Headliners for the festival include Idol judge Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert and Thomas Rhett.

Iam is set to perform on the main stage at 2:40 p.m. Friday, June 23.

Other familiar faces to singing show fans will be on hand as well.

Saturday’s lineup includes former Voice standout Ashland Craft. On Sunday, Season 19 Idol champ Chayce Beckham will perform. Check out the complete lineup and ticket information here.

Iam might not seem like a natural choice for a country music festival, but he covered a wide range of music on the show and impressed with his cover of Keith Urban’s “Making Memories of Us” on the season finale.

In a recent interview with NPR, Iam said his late father Rodney used to listen to Urban’s live album three or four times a day.

And Iam’s pre-Idol covers on his YouTube channel include Garth Brooks’ “The Dance,” Chris Stapleton’s “Millionaire,” Brad Paisley’s “Whiskey Lullaby” and Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”

So I’m thinking Iam Tongi at a country music festival will work just fine.

Still, a cowboy hat couldn’t hurt.

Other Iam related news …

* In that interview with NPR, Iam said his mom suggested his sing “Monsters” at his Idol audition. At first, he wasn’t keen on the idea “’cause every single time I sing that song, you know, I get emotional or it’s hard for me to, like, finish it. I wasn’t going to do it, but then I was thinking about it, and I just wanted to dedicate it to my dad because I owe all that I have to him and my mom.”

He elaborated, adding “after I learned ukulele, he (his dad Rodney) pushed me to learn guitar and pushed me to start singing. And I owe everything to my dad because if my dad never pushed me, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

* Iam’s buddy and duet partner from the show, Oliver Steele, teamed up with Breedlove Guitar to give him a new guitar since his Idol victory. You can check out a heartwarming video of Oliver surprising Iam with the guitar on Oliver’s Instagram.

Writes Oliver: “Throughout this incredible ride I’ve been on, @wtongi has not only been a friend; he’s been a brother, a light of positivity and a force of love. He has impacted me and my family more so than anyone else I’ve met on this journey.”

See also …
No rigging required in Iam Tongi’s Idol triumph
Iam says he can still hear his father singing
Iam’s new single reaches number one
iam Tongi wins American Idol
Iam Tongi’s winning night in photos
Iam Tongi’s journey to the finale in photos