Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Michael Strahan interviews Megan Danielle and Iam Tongi on Good Morning America (ABC Photo)

Iam Tongi’s new single has soared to number one on the Apple Music singles chart since his American Idol victory.

The song, “I’ll Be Seeing You,” dropped Friday and immediately soared up the chart, hitting number one on the Apple Music rock chart and cracking the Top 10 on the singles chart.

But it stalled in the number six spot on that chart and was sitting at number seven when Idol ended its three-hour season finale Sunday night.

The song has enjoyed a boost since that Idol win. As of Tuesday, it was sitting at number one on the Top 200 and was back at number one on the rock chart.

The number two song on the Top 200?

None other than James Blunt’s “Monsters,” the song Iam auditioned with.

They sang it together on Sunday’s Idol finale. Iam, who had dedicated his audition performance to his late father, was overcome with tears during the duet.

“It’s such a good song,” Iam said on a Monday morning appearance on Good Morning America. “I was telling myself when I went out there, ‘I’m not going to cry. I’m not going to cry.’

“Right when he (James) started singing, I was like ‘dang.’ Because his voice just sounds like heartbreak. It just sounds like heartache.”

Of course, lots of others were moved to tears by the performance as well, including Idol judge Katy Perry.

Turns out, Idol viewers were influenced by a lot of what they heard on Sunday’s show.

And the charts bode well for Iam’s musical future.

See also …
Iam says when he sings, he still hears his father
Iam Tongi wins American Idol
Iam Tongi’s winning night on Idol in photos
Iam Tongi’s journey to the Idol finale in photos

He’d released about a half dozen songs before “I’ll Be Seeing You.” Most of those are now in the Apple Music Top 200.

As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, three others — “Dreams,” “The Winner Takes It All” and “Gone” — were in the Top 50 on that chart.

“Dreams” has also surged on Spotify, with nearly 400,000 streams. It’s a song Iam wrote a couple years ago for his sister’s wedding.

Then there’s “Cool Down,” a song by Hawaiian reggae band Kolohe Kai that Iam covered on Sunday’s show. Released in 2009, the song was back on the Apple Music singles chart Tuesday afternoon, checking in at number 24.

Roman De Peralta, frontman for the band, was thrilled with Iam’s decision to sing the song on Idol.

“For him to choose something from Hawaii, from his roots, it really felt like his humility shined, to stick to who he is,” Roman told KITV. “I just felt honored to be a part of that and I felt so complimented.”